Lucy AU
by LucyRutherford
Summary: Mine.
1. Beginnings

**Disclaimer**: All rights and characters, except OC's, belong to Marvel/Disney.

Beginnings

"So, you've taken the young witch under your wing?" Hill didn't sound surprised; she'd probably suspected it ever since the Captain and the redhead had returned.

"I did. She needs a safe place to grow up and now that Tony is mentoring Peter, it seemed like an obvious choice," Steve replied.

They were in the first complete meeting of all Avengers and important members of the new Shield under whose supervision the Avengers would operate again.

Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Clint, Rhodey and Sam, as well as Hill, Coulson and even Fury were sitting around the conference table at the Avengers base in upstate New York. The introductions had just finished and everyone seemed excited and happy to be back among their colleagues. Fury had drawn up a sketch of the new organisational structure of Shield, Coulson laid out the current and predicted future threats and Hill moved the topic onto personnel now.

"And those two possibly won't stay on their own," she said ominously. Seven pairs of eyes turned to her in surprise while Coulson and Fury just smiled knowingly.

Hill continued. "Some of you know her – Lucy Rutherford."

Recognition suddenly dawned on Steve and with a look to the others he saw the same in Tony, Natasha and Clint's eyes.

"Lucy should become a part of the Avengers?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Well," Coulson still had the knowing smile on his face. "She is working on a suit in the basement of Columbia Prep."

"How –" Steve trailed off. This was Shield, of course they'd keep tabs on her.

"Wait, wait, wait," Bruce's soft voice was suddenly heard. "Backtrack here for a second. Who is Lucy Rutherford? The name sounds familiar."

"She's a little genius, the daughter of Asher Rutherford, from Rutherford Industries," Tony answered his science partner. "I didn't know she was building a suit… that's impressive –" he stopped after locking eyes with Hill.

"So she's a mini-you?" Rhodey asked but the amusement in his voice couldn't be hidden.

"Not quite," Coulson intervened. "Stark is right, but that's not all she is. She's also the granddaughter of Peggy Carter."

Silence fell upon the table and Nat was the only one who kept her gaze locked on Steve.

Sam was the first one to speak up after a good minute of quietness. "That lineage sounds like quite an explosive mixture."

Fury nodded. "Exactly. And she definitely has aspirations in terms of Shield, although she hasn't been in contact with us for some time. But that suit looks functional and if we want to prevent a small catastrophe caused by a young megalomaniac genius, we should probably intervene now."

"Not that I know anything about that, but –" Tony started but Natasha stopped him with a short but pointed "No".

"She doesn't have a good relationship with her parents, never had actually," Coulson explained. "Her mother had a falling out with Peggy but at least left Lucy mostly in her care. She was sent to boarding school at eleven, to Columbia Prep, so she was still allowed to stay in the city." Coulson took a deep breath before continuing which cautioned everyone not in the know yet; something that managed to upset Coulson's countenance must be bad. "Lucy's parents barely talk to her and ever since Peggy died, she hasn't been out of school at all. It's not just about making sure she doesn't overestimate her abilities with that suit. It's about giving her a safe space and comfort."

"So what's the plan?" Steve asked.

"We send someone to her school and meet with her formally, then ask about the suit and offer her to come by the tower to be introduced to all of you," Hill spoke plainly in the curt and to-the-point way that was so distinctive to Shield agents.

"We go from there. If she rejects the offer, hates the idea of training and working with you, then we'll have to subtly explain to her that she can't continue on the suit and has to give it up." Hill smiled. "Knowing her, that won't happen though. She'll be absolutely overjoyed to see you again and get to know the others."

"Wait a minute!" Tony interrupted. "Are we even being asked if we want to train her? Work with her? What if we don't have the time or – Ouch!" he exclaimed as he was being punched left and right, Nat and Rhodey respectively.

"Tony!" Sam and Clint shouted simultaneously.

"It was just a joke, guys!" Tony ruefully massaged his arms. "She was an incredibly smart girl the last time I met her and that was four years ago. I can't wait to see how brilliant she is now."

Steve had stayed quiet during the outrage. "Who will go meet her?"

"Ah, that's the tricky question." Fury's eye twinkled.

"We need to think strategically. She's highly intelligent and wary, so if it's the wrong person we lost our chance."

"Coulson would be the obvious choice, I assume?" Clint intervened for the first time. "Considering she spent loads of time with him around the offices when she was young."

"We thought that too –" Hill began.

"But I need to get back to the team and on the bus again," Coulson continued. "I would've loved to go but there's an 0-8-4 we have to investigate, and I still need to keep a low profile."

"The next obvious choice is you, Captain." Fury cocked his head and narrowed his eye at Steve.

"She's not gonna wanna admit to the suit or give it up and you're probably the only one she's not able to turn down. The impact due to her grandmother is too big."

Steve couldn't argue with that and simply nodded. "Of course, I'll do it." A little smile formed on his lips. "I can't wait to see her again."

###

Lucy's day had been suboptimal when she was called into the Reception office with the notice that a visitor was waiting for her. Her lab results didn't add up, she hadn't started on the reading list for neither her English nor her French class yet and school began in a few weeks. She didn't know who could possibly want to see her, since she was pretty sure it wasn't her parents. Even during vacation, the only communication from them was the odd text message but usually just something relayed through Matthew, RI's manager. She couldn't think of anyone else who would need something positive from her, so she was completely prepared for a worsening of her day when, upon her entrance into the office, Steve Rodgers suddenly stood up. Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and had a hard time keeping her mouth closed. Truly, she hadn't expected that. Cap had been exonerated for less than forty-eight hours, but he already came to see her. Something didn't add up. She decided on the confrontational method.

"Shouldn't you be visiting Sharon, first thing out of fugitive life?" Lucy couldn't help a slight snarky tone but the happiness in her voice to see Steve was still easy to grasp.

Steve sighed and grinned before gathering Lucy in his arms and kissing her forehead.

"I'm so glad to see you again." He considered her carefully. "You've grown so much!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Now you really sound like an old man."

The soldier laughed and asked her if she was up for taking a walk. Lucy agreed with the firm resolution to find out why exactly he was here. Steve thanked the reception staff for welcoming him before the two walked out on the bustling street towards Central Park.

"I guess it's futile to ask how you've been doing?" Lucy grinned. "You don't look too bad considering the constant alien invasions and fugitive life."

Steve gave her a bemused look. "Enough of the cheek, you're almost as bad as Tony."

They spent some time simply walking through Central Park, bringing each other up to date on happenings during the past two to three years. Steve told Lucy about Wanda and the young genius was excited to meet the witch – whether out of friendship or scientific interest, Steve couldn't tell. As they stopped for iced coffee and sat down on a bench, stretching their legs in the sweltering high summer sun, Steve turned to the issue he was actually visiting her for.

Lucy could feel a change in Steve's demeanor as they sat down, so the question didn't come completely out of the blue, although she hadn't expected this specific topic.

"What is going on with that suit in your school's basement? You know – the one you keep stealing supplies for?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she sunk her head as she was caught and only narrowly stopped herself from glancing at Steve. She opened her mouth and almost denied the ridiculous claim but then thought on it again. This was Captain America, the role model her grandma had always held as the greatest hero of all – most importantly, this was Steve. She couldn't lie to him, so she just met his firm gaze with curious eyes.

"How –," she started before stopping herself. "Shield, of course. They're keeping tabs on me?"

Steve nodded. "Obviously. Probably a part of your grandma's testament."

Lucy gave a crooked smile in reply.

"Would you mind showing me that suit? I'd be very interested in seeing it."

Again, this was the Captain. Lucy couldn't hide this from him and she knew her grandma would be disappointed if she wasn't cooperating with him. Also, she did want to show him. She didn't like to admit it, but part of being a somewhat arrogant genius was a need to show off her inventions. Lucy sighed. With every passing day she could understand Howard better.

"Sure," she relented with a confident smile towards Cap. "Let me show you there."

###

"That's very impressive," Steve couldn't contain his amazement, although the last thing he wanted was to stroke Lucy's ego. That didn't work. The kid genius had a satisfied smile on her face and she turned the suit back off and shoved it in the closet again before locking it. Steve turned to her and readied himself for the next part of his mission, the most important one.

"We were wondering if you'd like to work on the suit properly – in a real lab, not a basement."

Lucy cocked her head questioningly at Steve.

"How would you like to come visit the tower? We'd love to help you with the suit, train you, along with Wanda and Spiderman."

Lucy's eyes grew. "Become part of the Avengers?"

"Of sorts, yes."

She smiled knowingly. "I would've said yes anyway but the fact that Shield would take away my suit if I didn't, only strengthens my decision."

The brilliance and sharp mind of the young woman baffled Steve once again, as much as the great resemblance she bore to her grandmother.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow? We'll pick you up at 3."

###

The grey Audi stopped outside her boarding house only a few minutes after Lucy had stepped out the door. Steve got out the backdoor and after hugging her, gave way to the girl to slide in the car. The driver looked back curiously and Steve smiled as he introduced them.

"Lucy, this is Happy. He used to be Tony's security and now – well, he's doing basically everything, driving being a big part of his job."

Lucy grinned. "Yeah, I think I remember faintly."

"You must've been nine at most," Happy said amusedly. "You've grown quite a bit since then."

"Why is this the first response I get from everyone?" Lucy couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Please don't let it continue this way when we get to the tower. This is worse than a family reunion."

The two men chuckled as the car slowly made its way through the thick afternoon traffic around Central Park.

Lucy wasn't specifically nervous about meeting everyone – she knew most of them since she could walk and if this didn't work out, she would just go back to the life she knew so far - school, her own research and RI - but she couldn't pretend that she didn't want it.

The conversation with Steve and Happy continued pleasantly until Happy stopped the car in front of the famed Avengers tower which was surprisingly quiet since it was a Saturday and none of the employees were in, solely a few tourists had found their way there.

Happy let Steve and Lucy out before promising he'd catch up with them upstairs after bringing the car into the garage.

Steve navigated Lucy to the doors and straight to the elevators where he pressed the button to the 81st floor.

"Don't be nervous," Steve felt important to add as they were waiting for the elevator to climb the floors. "Everyone is really excited to see you."

"I'm not nervous," Lucy shot back. It was partly true at this point. She was used to pomp and media circus but not even she had been at the Avengers tower before.

The elevator plinked and the doors opened and before she knew it, Lucy had stepped into the common room floor following Steve. She didn't have much time to look at all the different faces awaiting her because she spotted two important ones straight away.

"Natasha! Clint!"

Within two seconds Lucy had passed the distance and found herself engulfed in the arms of the two Shield members.

Natasha's smile was much wider than usual as they pulled away from the hug. "I'm so glad to see you again."

"You've grown!" Clint observed.

Lucy's growl was deep and Steve had to laugh.

"Apparently she's heard that a few times and would prefer not to talk about her height anymore."

"Well, obviously she's heard it from all the old people around here, so she won't hear it from me," Tony commented with a chuckle before examining Lucy with critical eyes.

"So, I hear you're building a suit? Copycat much?"

Lucy grinned cockily. "I'm not copying anything – mine's much better."

The entire floor fell silent; those knowing Lucy were amused, the others expected Tony's reaction.

The older genius kept serious for another few seconds before laughing and hugging his younger counterpart.

"Now that's the Lucy I know. Good to see that boarding hasn't turned you into a part of the machine yet."

"Well, it hasn't turned you either. We're the rebels, remember?"

Lucy was quickly introduced to the other members she hadn't known already and didn't fail to impress both Sam and Rhodey as well as Bruce. Last were Peter and Wanda who instantly took a liking to Lucy, similarly to how they'd taken to each other.

"So you can do neural electric interfacing and mental manipulation?" Lucy sounded suitably impressed and Wanda seemed satisfied.

"Yeah, and telekinesis too," the young witch added.

"That is fascinating," Lucy examined her more closely. "Do you know how? Is it genetic or studied? Did you ever face radioactivity or –"

She was interrupted by a hand clasping her arm and pulling her away slightly.

"I think that's enough for now, Wanda isn't the object of scientific study," Natasha said, and Lucy complied.

"Sorry, it's a habit… and highly interesting," Lucy conceded sheepishly.

Steve intervened before she let her spirit of curiosity take over again.

"Why don't we show you the rest of the tower? We have the common room floor here, then there's the labs, the training room…?"

Lucy's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, please!"

Natasha smiled. "I'll take her."

"I'll join you," Clint immediately got up and put an arm around Lucy's shoulder.

The three started their tour of the tower, with Peter and Wanda also following them. Lucy was impressed with the space. Not because of the luxury or technology – she was used to that – but because of the homeliness. Not since she's visited her grandma regularly had she seen this much of a family home. The common room was cozy, the kitchen big and light and Lucy especially loved the training room and the gym and the idea of training there with the rest of the Avengers left a giddy feeling in her stomach. The labs were especially impressive and the sheer thought of having access to this level of materials and research almost had Lucy faint. There were few things in life she couldn't get but the Avengers facilities were definitely on that list.

When they got back from the tour and returned to the living room, Natasha explained the rest of the day.

"Why don't the three of you go upstairs to your rooms, either Wanda or Peter's? We'll call you for dinner and after that we'll talk about everything else you should know."

Lucy nodded enthusiastically and joined Peter and Wanda as they led her out of the common floor towards the elevator where they went up two more floors.

"Peter has his room on Tony's floor and I got mine on Steve's," Wanda explained.

"But I don't live here permanently," Peter added. "I live with my aunt but I spend quite some time here or upstate."

"Upstate?" Lucy asked as they stepped out of the elevator and walked towards Wanda's room.

"The new Avengers base upstate. We don't live there but it's where most administrative Avengers business is happening. Being at the tower at least during the week makes this a lot less stressful for everyone, especially 'cause I need to start school soon." The obvious sigh in Wanda's voice wasn't hard to make out.

"Oh, check your privilege," Peter groaned. "You got special powers and didn't have to attend school until you were sixteen. That's pretty good, come on!"

Lucy couldn't help but giggle as they entered Wanda's room. It was a spacious area, definitely decorated to Wanda's taste and Lucy felt at home straight away.

"Your room's awesome," Lucy said and didn't hide the impression in her voice. "You got good taste."

"Thanks!" Wanda plopped down on the bed and Lucy joined her.

"Me going to school is probably another thing they wanna talk about tonight."

Lucy gave her a questioning glance and Wanda explained.

"As Peter so eloquently explained, I haven't been to school in years, so they're looking for one that's gonna accommodate me and bring me up to speed to join regular classes."

Lucy had a faint idea where this was going.

"So, Columbia Prep seemed like an obvious choice and I think they're gonna go with it if you join us. It's a really good school and they're already doing the special thing with you," Wanda finished.

Lucy couldn't help but feel taken aback. "How do you know about my teaching arrangements?"

Wanda and Peter both gave her a dashing smile.

"Selective listening with good ears, mostly," Wanda explained.

"Also, the luck of having adults discuss these things in strategically convenient places," Peter added.

Lucy grinned. "So – eavesdropping."

Wanda nodded. "Yeah, basically."

The trio started laughing and Lucy started to think she could feel very much at home with these friends.

"What else do they wanna talk about tonight then? Since you apparently have an overview of the entire agenda," Lucy wanted to know after their laughing had subsided.

Peter gave her a slight smile. "Probably just training arrangements, lab work, all that jazz. We're not gonna take anything away, you'll just have to wait."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Mean but I have patience – a little at least."

"So how do you guys like coming here, living here – you know, your perspective. I gotta know what I'm getting myself into at least."

Wanda grinned and looked at Peter.

"You're getting into a lot I'd say, but it's also awesome. I've never had anyone care about me and but here I have Steve and everyone else as well." Wanda smiled at Lucy.

Peter chimed in. "Yeah, it's definitely nice. I mean I got May at home but with Tony it's different and training and living with the Avengers is great."

Lucy had to admit that it indeed sounded pretty amazing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so safe and that was definitely also due to meeting people again she'd known years ago.

A knock on the door interrupted their talk and as it opened, Natasha's face appeared in the frame, smiling.

"Dinner's ready."

The kids scrambled up and followed the spy towards the elevator. Lucy smiled at Nat who put an arm around her shoulders.

"How are you liking the others?"

"They're awesome," Lucy sounded ecstatic.

Natasha rubbed her shoulder. "I'm glad, you'll hopefully be training with them regularly."

Everyone was present for dinner and it was a great homecooked meal that Lucy devoured after the school food she was used to normally. Dinner finished and some of the adults as well as Peter and Wanda left until only Steve, Nat, Tony and Clint were still sat at the table.

"How did you like today then?" Steve started.

"It was awesome!" Lucy's eyes lit up. "The training room, the workshops, the common room, it all looks amazing."

The adults chuckled and Tony continued.

"We're glad to hear that. So, you'll agree to training and working with us?"

Lucy gave him an incredulous look. "Of course I will! No question about it."

Steve cleared his throat and Lucy shot him a surprised look.

"There's one more thing we need to talk about."

From his tone of voice, Lucy could tell it was a serious topic, so she focused her attention on Cap.

"It's about discipline."

It wasn't nervousness that started to form within her stomach but something akin to it. She didn't want to admit it but she wasn't a stranger to trouble. Being highly intelligent, young and rich was an explosive mixture – she'd experienced it often enough.

Steve continued. "The three of you have extraordinary powers, whether biological or intellectual, and access to funds and materials that aren't normal for your age. The trouble that you could find yourself in is exponentially more dangerous than normal teenagers'."

Lucy wouldn't admit it out loud but she agreed with Cap, so she held his stern gaze and waited for what was coming.

"We have certain rules and boundaries in place and they are reasonable, especially for your situation. If they get broken, we have certain punishments in place too; grounding and the usual and for major incidents also spankings." Steve stopped to observe her reaction.

Now Lucy's stomach did turn slightly. It was nervousness – she hadn't really expected that but thinking about it made sense; Steve grew up in the 20s and from the few hours she'd spent with them, Lucy could tell Tony was very protective of Peter – and Peter was about as reckless as herself.

"You have to decide whether you want to accept these rules and consequences, because that's a part of training and working with us," Steve finished.

Lucy was silent for a moment. Expecting to follow rules wasn't an issue, those were everywhere and she didn't necessarily have a problem with that – it was simply normal. What set off her nervousness was having the consequences laid out so plainly, and her knowing herself, she was sure she would incur them at some point. Lucy began wondering why she'd felt nervous as soon as Steve had mentioned it. She could easily decline and be free of whatever expectations they held for her when suddenly the realization hit her. She'd already decided she was going to join, so she met the explanation of the rules with nervousness because she knew they'd apply to her. Lucy thought to her grandma; she wouldn't want her to throw away a place with the Avengers because she wasn't prepared to accept discipline. The only way to avoid it was to follow the rules which she was supposed to anyway – Lucy knew exactly it was wishful thinking, but she'd be optimistic, for her grandma's sake.

"Sounds fair," Lucy spoke up and met the adults' eyes one by one. They all were happy but there was something else in Natasha's as well, something akin to – pride?

Steve sighed in relief. "I'm glad you accept. We just need to decide on your primary mentor, the one who'll be responsible, carry out the discipline for you - basically your first point of contact." He paused. "Do you have any preference?"

Lucy looked up in surprise, not expecting to have a choice in the matter and her gaze immediately went to Natasha. She saw a glimmer in the older woman's eyes and a mutual understanding between them.

Smiling, Lucy turned back to Steve and answered. "Natasha?"

Clint groaned in playful exasperation. "Of course, you choose her. I'm always left out," he sulked.

"Nooo!" Lucy immediately jumped to consoled him. "You're number two, I promise!"

Clint grinned and Natasha stroked Lucy's back as Tony finished up.

"That's settled then and fits perfectly since Cap's got Wanda and I got the spiderling."

The meeting seemed to have finished and it was getting quite late but Lucy couldn't help herself.

"When are we gonna start then?"

Everyone chuckled and Natasha responded with clear pride in her voice.

"That's the enthusiasm I want, but we can hardly start tonight."

At Lucy's disappointed look, she smiled.

"We'll have a look at your schedule and work out some regular training and lab times."

"And set some time aside to get that suit out your basement." Tony's eyes had a twinkle in them making Lucy chuckled.

"We'll see you tomorrow anyway," Clint commented nonchalantly and grinned as Lucy threw him a confused look. "It's Fourth of July and someone's birthday." He gave Cap an obvious side-eye which caused Steve to jump into action straightaway.

"You don't have to come," he assured her immediately. "It's not that important – after a hundred years you don't really care about that sort of thing anymore."

Lucy gave him an incredulous look. "Of course I want to come! I'd be spending the day in school anyway and I think I've missed enough birthdays already."

Steve smiled and Nat gave her shoulder another squeeze. "We'll pick you up at 4 tomorrow, have a barbecue and then watch the fireworks from the roof." She smiled. "It's gonna be nice."

###

"This is amazing," Steve's eyes grew large as he unwrapped the big gift basket and took out the variety of art supplies. He turned to Lucy, smiling and with a glint in his eyes.

"You really didn't have to do that."

Lucy spent the morning choosing a present for Steve – it wasn't easy finding a suitable gift for someone who'd missed the past seventy years. But she hadn't spent the first fifteen years of her life with her grandmother for nothing and she'd completely forgotten how much fun it was to shop for gifts. In the DaVinci Art Supply store Lucy picked up a variety of drawing and coloring pencils, brushes, paper, watercolor, acrylics and everything else she could find. She assumed that while on the run, Steve probably hadn't had much time to draw and paint, so she figured she'd give him the opportunity now.

"But I wanted to," Lucy responded confidently. "You need some relaxation time."

Steve hugged her tightly and kissed her forehand. "Thank you very much! I'll be sure to return the favor."

The barbecue on the open floor of the tower was the most fun Fourth of July Lucy had ever celebrated. The view over the city was beautiful and the atmosphere was relaxed, informal and easy-going. Lucy decided to make the rounds and first stopped to talk to Bruce and Tony about the intended lab work. The two scientists smiled at her as she was approaching and stopped their conversation.

"So, are you excited to start working in the workshop here?" Bruce asked her and elicited an enthusiastic response.

"Definitely," Lucy nodded. "We're getting the suit out tomorrow, right?"

Tony grinned. "Of course. I'm curious as to what you fabricated in that basement in school – obviously it's impressive how you got this all done without a real workshop," he quickly added at Lucy's frown which softened immediately.

She smiled sheepishly. "I didn't do it completely without a lab… I got some supplies from the lab in school."

Bruce's eyes grew large and Tony cocked an eyebrow which had Lucy quickly explain further. "I mean, we're paying so much money for that school, it's only right that they help me out."

"Obviously…," Tony just grinned while Bruce's expression didn't change.

Lucy decided changing the topic was the right move. "I'm trying to improve my blaster power but I can't seem to be able to miniaturize enough power, my arm piece always gets too heavy." She gave the science bros a dashing smile. "I think that's the first thing we gotta work on."

Bruce seemed to have snapped out of his jar and smiled at her. "We'll figure it out. It's what we do."

Tony patted her shoulder and Lucy was about to answer when an strong hand pulled her around. Peter was smiling excitedly at her.

"Lucy! I want you to meet my aunt, May! May, this is Lucy, she's Natasha's protégé now and she's built a whole suit herself! In a basement!"

Lucy raised her eyebrows at Peter's eager introduction but didn't blush – she had people praise her intelligence on levels far above this one for years. She eyed Peter's aunt discreetly. She was young, younger than she expected and very pretty. Lucy immediately noticed her eyes – they were warm and kind and she could see instantly why Peter was so attached to her, she must be a great mother figure… not that Lucy knew anything about that. She extended her hand but May just waved it away and engulfed her in a hug. Lucy was taken by surprise but quickly relaxed into the embrace – it was impossible not to. The woman was so lively and welcoming and all-round lovely, she almost forgot she was also a guest here.

"Peter's told me so much about you! You're going to Columbia Prep?" May asked and as Lucy nodded, she continued. "That's a really good school." She sent a thoughtful look to Peter who sighed heavily and looked helplessly at Lucy.

She grinned. "It's so nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you as well."

May got the girl talking and before she knew it, Lucy was feeling completely comfortable with her. Natasha appeared from the open deck and came up to them, greeting May and putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Has May started mothering you as well?" Nat grinned at the other woman.

Lucy smiled as May answered. "There's no other way, is there? So many young kids around that need to be taken care of."

"We're not young!" Peter and Lucy burst out laughing as they answered in unison. The adults just grinned and kept the conversation going, with Tony and Pepper chiming in as well.

Lucy got out of the parent talk as Wanda pulled her and Peter politely away – Steve's influence was noticeable – but the three were caught by Rhodey, Sam and Clint, as the trio tried to sneak off to a quiet corner.

"Are you excited to start our training?" Sam asked Lucy but before the girl could answer Clint grinned.

"Oh, you should've seen her last night! She was almost dragging Nat into the training room that evening," he smiled at her and Lucy was sure there was the same pride in his eyes as in Natasha's.

Rhodey nodded firmly. "That's what we want. I think Tony wants to get the suit tomorrow? Then we can schedule a training session when you come in."

Lucy's eyes grew large. She hadn't expected to be starting this soon.

Clint noticed her surprise. "We need to see where you're at, fitness-wise etc. We're gonna start your training without the suit first, then have some sessions with it too."

"Why?" Lucy hadn't meant to sound as offended and whining as she did but she loved her suit. She'd worked on it for a long time and put lots of time and effort into it. Also, training without the suit was a lot harder and required much more physical activity – but that wasn't the problem, she told herself. No, it was about her liking the suit.

Her response didn't go unnoticed though. Sam eyed her with an intense, stern gaze and Lucy made a mental note to never cause trouble during training – especially when he was in charge.

"You said you want to be a Shield agent as well as an Avenger? A field agent? That requires discipline, lots of physical training and dedication and that's what we're here for."

Lucy swallowed nervously but held his gaze. She wanted them to see that she was serious, especially considering these were the people that would train her. She thought to her grandmother and how excited Peggy would be that she was fulfilling her dreams and legacy.

"I do and I'm ready to work for it. I'll do anything to make it happen," Lucy was firm in her response.

The three men smiled and Clint clasp her shoulder.

"Well done, you passed our motivation exam."

Everyone burst out laughing, even Peter and Wanda who had wisely kept quiet – they'd been training for a few weeks now and knew when to shut up.

"Have I ever told you the story about the tank at the general's palace?" Rhodey asked the kids and all three shook their heads so he began.

The stories the adults told about missions and quests were every bit as mesmerizing as the regular Shield mission Lucy spent her childhood hearing about and sparked her eagerness to start training even further.

As the sun was setting everyone made themselves comfortable on the open platform overlooking the city lights. Nat had appeared after Clint had just finished a story about a Ukrainian mob mistress and led the two of them towards the seats at the front, while Steve sat with Wanda and Peter went to where Tony, Pepper and May had sat themselves.

Lucy placed herself between Clint and Natasha and the older woman gave her a side hug, allowing her to lean her head against her shoulder.

"Did today give you the same impression as yesterday? Still excited about training and working and –" She couldn't finish because Lucy interrupted her enthusiastically.

"Yes! It gets better and better," she beamed. "Everyone is so welcoming and it's gonna be great."

"You bet," Clint agreed as he leaned back with a beer in his hand and placed the other arm around Lucy's shoulder. "You'll be the best Shield agent the entire organization has ever seen."

Lucy snorted. "That's impossible. Look at who I'm sitting in between."

Nat grinned. "We'll just be an unbeatable trio."

Clint threw his head back. "You bet your ass. We're not gonna let go before you can hold your own against that Taiwanese executioner."

Lucy's eyes sparkled, slightly concerning considering they were talking about a serial killer, but nothing in her life had ever been normal – this wasn't very out of the ordinary.

Their conversation was cut short as the sound of the city got louder when the celebrations' high point neared. They could hear the cheering of hundreds of thousands of people down in the streets and along the river banks as the fireworks exploded in the night sky. Lucy's heart felt light and she was truly happy. For the first time in months, ever since her grandma passed, she had the chance to allow herself to open up and let someone new in her life – apparently, she had chosen the entirety of the Avengers, but she didn't mind - the more the merrier.

###

The next few weeks had gone by in a now regular routine of school, training and lab work and spending many nights and weekends at the tower and sometimes upstate. Wanda started preparing for classes at Columbia Prep in order to start attending with Lucy as soon as school began and to Lucy it was the best thing that had ever happened. She'd never had many friends, a by-product of moving often and having other interests than most of her classmates; a few acquaintances that the East Side always kept for future business contacts but no more than that. Wanda understood her, they shared interests and the same wavelength. It wasn't surprising that Lucy quickly kept spending more and more time at the tower rather than at school. Peter had become a close friend too - Lucy appreciated his sharp intellect and interest in science as much as his lax attitude (although he definitely could be a reckless idiot – but funny and not too different to herself). The three of them had surprisingly managed to stay out of trouble – though Peter came close by almost missing curfew when he stayed at the tower. It was one of those night she was spending at the tower in her room on Natasha's floor – Wanda helped decorate, obviously – when the inevitable conversation finally started after dinner.

"You're spending the night here again?" Steve began and Lucy looked up confused. He didn't sound annoyed, but she couldn't tell why he'd be offended at it.

"Yeah, I'm helping Wanda with some school work and I wouldn't be able to make the curfew, so…" Lucy trailed off.

Tony grinned. "Don't worry. We don't want to get rid of you – quite the opposite actually."

Lucy just got more and more confused. That was the problem with the Avengers, they just loved dramatic reveals too much and Lucy couldn't help but say so.

Tony's smile just got wider. "You are right, we do like our drama and –"

"Tony." Natasha cut him off with a stern glance and Lucy was once again amused at how easily Nat managed to keep Tony in line. On the other hand, she'd been on the receiving end of a few of these glances by now and needless to say, she didn't care to invite more or anything stronger than those.

"We wanted to ask you if you'd like to completely move in here," Natasha explained calmly.

Lucy's eyes grew wider before jumped from her seat and hugged her mentor so forcefully that the table started shaking. After Lucy detached herself from Nat's throat again the latter smiled.

"I assume that's a yes?"

Lucy was stilling grinning from ear to ear. "Of course! I'd love to."

"Then we'll notify Columbia straight away and move you as soon as possible." Natasha switched to her planning voice instantly. "You go upstairs to get school work done, I'll get this sorted." Natasha squeezed Lucy's shoulder before the girl went upstairs giggling with Wanda about the sheer luck they were having.

"We definitely need to make sure this doesn't turn into a 24/7 sleepover," Steve said, frowning, as he watched the two walking upstairs.

"Agreed," Natasha smiled. "I already got some ideas."

###

Moving day came a few days later and Peter was around as well, helping to move the boxes of Lucy's possessions to the tower. With all the support, the move was quickly done, and everyone found themselves in the living room. The others had been ecstatic about the news and Rhodey had even lifted Lucy up and swung her around when she told him.

"Now that we have another tower resident, we thought we should lay down the rules not just for the kids but everyone clearly," Steve started. "This is not going to be a sleepover every night, we need to try and live like a normal family – yeah, that's not going to happen… somewhat normal… you know what I mean!" He finished exasperatedly at the giggling from the girls during the end of his sentence.

Natasha rolled her eyes and cleared her throat which caused the girls to quiet down.

"Look through the book, most rules apply to everyone, some only to the kids but all are reasonable and basically what we expect anyway," Natasha concluded the explanation and gave everyone some time to flick through the pages.

No one had any complaints, since Bruce and Tony had been helping to devise the lab rules, while Clint, Sam and Rhodey helped with the training room ones. The kids almost started a fuss about the bedtime, but Steve started to list their various engagements and they redacted their objections pretty quickly.

Lucy looked around. Natasha smiled at her and so she gave a satisfied smile back and Wanda rested her head on her shoulder. She'd never had a real family, but this one was the best she could wish for. It'd be only uphill from here.


	2. Trouble Brewing

Lab Incident

"I'm just saying that you don't need to adhere to every suggestion, you can pick and choose. This is an English essay not a science experiment," Lucy explained to Wanda who was hunched over "The Great Gatsby".

"My problem is that I don't even understand what the purpose of any of this is. What is analyzing a book going to teach me?" the young witch complained and Lucy only shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"I have no idea but it's gonna haunt you till you finish school. You might actually start enjoying it though… it's a nice escape from real life." Lucy twisted her body back to smile at Wanda and grab another chocolate bar.

The girls had been lying on Wanda's bed and doing school work the past few hours, surrounded by chocolate and snacks. Wanda had to prepare work before school started in order to join normal classes as soon as possible and Lucy was always up for an opportunity to help. Peter had come over in the morning as well because May had to work during the weekend so he spent the next few days with them. He was currently badgering Bruce about some questions on his suit's improvement that he'd told Lucy about but she was sure Bruce wouldn't indulge the spider.

A knock on the door interrupted the study session and before Wanda could answer, Peter tromped into the room.

"He's not helping me with my ideas for the suit," he huffed angrily as he made his way towards the bed to grab a piece of chocolate. "He said we need more time to think it over but I ran all the calculations and it's fine."

"I told you," Lucy drawled after exchanging a long look with Wanda.

"They're going upstate for the rest of the afternoon until late tonight anyway," Wanda tried to console Peter. "You wouldn't have time to work on it anyway."

Lucy knew Peter planned something by the way he suddenly perked up when Wanda finished.

"They're all leaving? Is anyone staying home?"

Wanda seemed to sense something too. "Happy is staying home to babysit – what are you planning?"

"Nothing." The answer came too quick and the girls gazed at each other before sitting up and challenging Peter with expectant looks.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I thought if no one is home, we could spend some time in the lab, figure out where we're going with our improvements –"

"Oh no," Wanda interrupted him. "No, no, no, you are not working in the lab without supervision. That's the dumbest idea you've had so far."

Lucy pondered the idea a bit longer. "Let him finish. You're not the one needing the lab for your fighting."

Wanda shook her head. "Please tell me you're not endorsing this!"

"I'm just saying that no one will realize we were even in there if we don't stay the whole night. I just want to get ahead on my blaster calculations, they're still slightly off," Lucy shrugged her shoulders. 

Peter gave her a triumphant look while Wanda's eyes just wandered back and forth between the two of them with clear exasperation written in them.

"You guys are idiots and I'm telling you now this is a bad idea," Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Don't complain when I told you so."

"We won't," Peter promised. "You coming?" he asked Lucy.

The blonde girl slid of the bed and gave Wanda an apologetic smile.

"I just wanna get ahead on my work and it's nothing dangerous. Don't worry."

Wanda huffed. "Oh, I'm not worrying, just commenting on your stupidity."

Peter and Lucy grinned and left the room, heading towards the labs. Happy was in the garage tending to the cars and he had muttered something about catching up on paperwork so he wouldn't even come close to the labs.

At the door to the main workshop, Peter scanned his palm and the doors slid open to reveal the biggest workshop. None of the really dangerous materials were kept here, they were all under lock in one of the other labs and none of the kids had access to it. Technically, they weren't allowed in any lab without supervision, not yet at least, but there was nothing hazardous in this one. Once inside, Peter went towards the back where he had his station and Lucy wandered to her own desk and pulled up a hologram of one of her blasters. The two of them started working silently with a pleasant, quiet atmosphere in the lab.

Lucy concentrated on calculating a better ratio of blasting force and size and weight of the blasters. She ran the new specifications through the printer and assembled one of her armpieces. It felt heavier than before but the blasting power should have improved. Lucy called over to Peter.

"Hey, spidey, have a look." She turned her arm that was coated in the red piece. "Whatcha thinking?"

Peter inspected the armpiece. "That looks awesome. You improved the blaster force?"

"Hopefully," Lucy narrowed her eyes at her arm. "I mean I can't try it out until we're working with Tony again, but –"

"Who says you can't?" Peter gave her a challenging look while walking back to his desk and slapping on his webshooters.

Lucy frowned and Peter continued explaining. "I developed webs that should withhold blaster shoots. Perfect opportunity to test it out!"

Lucy grinned. "Alright!"

Peter stood himself at the end of the lab, while Lucy positioned herself close to the door. Peter shot a web towards the back wall just as Lucy fired a blaster shot at the lowest setting. She had underestimated the force of the blast though. Apparently, her calculations had been too good and the shot had such power behind it that it easily tore through the web and hit the wall full force. A deafening crash was heard and Peter jumped back towards her as bits of the wall flew off and a hole formed that broke into the next lab. Bits of glass flew around and the windows on the other side easily shattered, opening access to the storage room behind them. Lucy and Peter stared in shock as the extent of their actions became apparent in front of their eyes. After a minute of silence, Lucy turned to her partner in crime.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" She asked him worriedly. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea that blast was so strong!"

Peter shook his head. "No, I'm good, what about you? And I'm sorry, I thought the webs were a lot stronger than this."

The teens leaned back again and breathed heavily.

"This was pretty cool though," Peter carefully admitted.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, we definitely found out we need to work better on our calculations." She grinned.

Looking around the lab stopped her smile though and Peter next to her also got very quiet. It was a picture of destruction and the fact that they shouldn't have been in the workshop in the first place only made things worse.

Lucy took a deep breath. "We really messed up, didn't we?"

Peter nodded dejectedly. "We've definitely got it coming."

Lucy's stomach turned at that. So far, she'd avoided any great punishment from Natasha and the most she's incurred had been a few glares that were enough to nip any disobedient behavior straight in the bud. Nervousness overcame her – not because she was scared of Natasha or anything she'd dish out, but because she didn't want to face her disappointment and stern demeanor. And just because she wasn't scared didn't mean she was looking forward to it. She threw a worried glance to Peter who tried his best calming smile.

"It'll be fine," he attempted to calm her down. "They'll be angry, we'll be disciplined and then everything will be fine." He didn't really sound convinced.

Lucy swallowed hard. "I've just never been in trouble with Natasha before…" She trailed off.

Peter threw her a sympathetic glance. "Yeah, I wouldn't wanna be in trouble with Nat."

Lucy open her mouth in disbelieve and shook her head. "Not helping!"

"Sorry." Peter sounded sufficiently apologetic.

"What do we do now?" Lucy sighed. "Why couldn't we just stop when everything was ok?"

"I ask myself that every time," Peter admitted. "One of the things Tony's trying to teach me apparently… to 'think before I act'." He used air quotes to support his last statement. "The alarm probably notified Tony already – he's got it installed just in case something like this would happen," Peter explained at Lucy's questioning look. "No idea why he wouldn't trust us…" He gave a tortured smile. "I say we just wait outside for the inevitable judgement," he declared in an ominous voice and Lucy just stared at him, causing his smile to vanish.

The two kids dropped down outside the lab door and sat in silence. Lucy was trying to sort out her thoughts. She was dreading Natasha's arrival, but she also wanted to get the punishment over with. With a heavy heart, she realized that the others, including Steve, would also know of her actions and she felt a knot forming in her stomach. Steve would be so disappointed that she wasn't living up to her grandma's example – what if they decided she was too much trouble? She'd lived at the tower for barely a week and she already wrecked the lab. Lucy pushed that thought away. If she entertained it, it'd drive her crazy even though she didn't know why; she'd always managed on her own, she could just continue that way. But thinking about how disappointed her grandma would be in her for having blown her shot at training with Shield and the Avengers made her feel physically sick. She leaned her head back and almost closed her eyes when she heard movement coming from the elevator and Peter and her scrambled to their feet as Tony, Natasha, Bruce and Steve turned around the corner with foreboding expressions on their faces.

Lucy threw one look at Natasha and immediately sunk her head. Yes, this would be worse than anything so far. The four only stopped when they stood in front of the two offenders. Tony raised an eyebrow at them.

"One of you care to explain why I got called by my lab alarm when no one was supposed to be in there because everyone authorized to do so was upstate?" His voice was calm but Lucy knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Peter swallowed hard and managed to look into his mentor's eyes. "Lucy and I thought it was a good idea to get ahead on some calculations while you were out." He sunk his head again. "You'll see once you go inside."

Tony threw the two kids a pointed look before opening the door to the lab and entering, followed by the other adults. Silence greeted them. A lump formed in Lucy's throat as she saw the destruction they'd caused once again. For some reason it looked worse the second time. Next to her, she could feel Peter slump and knew he was thinking the exact same thing. Slowly, the adults turned around after Tony and Bruce inspected the extent of the damage and Tony ordered to robots to start the cleaning process. When Natasha's eyes hit her again, Lucy averted her eyes, but Steve's disappointed gaze was no better and only brought images of her grandmother to her mind. She settled on inspecting her shoes instead.

"I think we'll start this discussion in my office," Tony declared, still in a calm voice but the displeasure was clearly heard.

Natasha nodded and, clasping Lucy's shoulder in a firm grip, maneuvered her out the door and down the corridor towards Tony's office. Lucy squirmed under her mentor's hand but submitted to it. She would do anything she could to show Natasha that she was willing to follow her, to convince her that she shouldn't get rid of her.

The adults placed the contrite teenagers on the sofa and stood in front of the desk with expectant expressions. Bruce had stayed back in the lab to oversee the cleaning process and Steve left the office with one last look towards the kids that had Lucy's heart sink even further.

"We still haven't heard a real explanation for what happened." Natasha had her curt, sharp agent voice and fixed her stare on Lucy who was still unable to meet it. She tried to answer her mentor but when she opened her mouth no sound came out. Lucy never had anyone to answer too – her nanny and grandma sometimes asked her to explain herself but it never concerned actual punishment. The most Peggy ever had reason to use was a stern voice and Lucy would comply or stop whatever she had planned. This was different. She'd never lived with someone who would care personally whether she followed the rules. School was school and breaking rules there meant having to serve some detention but the outcome, even taking the consequences into account, was usually worth it. Lucy was sure that none of today was worth anything. She felt rotten about the disappointment she'd caused Nat and Tony and the look Steve had thrown her cut deep. She wanted to explain herself but there wasn't much explaining to do. It was stupid and idle disrespect for the rules that motivated her, with no further goal but a cure to her and Peter's boredom. It was hard to admit and Lucy's pride stood in her way, but apparently the fear of having to leave was even greater – it was an unexpected feeling.

"We're sorry," Lucy started. She threw Peter a quick glance but he looked just as lost as her so she decided to save whatever could be saved.

"I know it doesn't change what happened. But – we don't have an explanation, we just – we thought… - we didn't think actually." She kept her gaze focussed on her knees but continued nevertheless. "We were bored and we thought if we just ran calculations and specifications, nothing bad would happen, but we got carried away and reckless and tried the new additions without proper precautions and we destroyed your lab, and I'm so sorry, I wish I could reverse what happened, it was stupid and I swear it won't ever happen again and, please – please, just.. don't send me back to school." Lucy got faster and faster during her monologue and spewed the last words out so quickly that they were almost impossible to make out, especially as her voice got more distraught and her breathing heavier.

Without missing a beat, Natasha slipped from her place before the desk directly in front of Lucy and crouched down. She placed her finger under the young woman's chin and forced her to look up.

Lucy winced as she felt Natasha's finger under her chin and squirmed as she had to look into her mentor's eyes. They were serious but there was no anger in them, Lucy recognised surprised.

"We will never get rid of you, Lucy. You are a part of this family now and whatever happens, I will still love you and care about you, do you understand? There is nothing you could do that would make anyone in this family hate you or want you to leave." Natasha's voice was serious but gentle and she never broke eye contact with Lucy.

Lucy felt tears pricking at her eyes as she heard Nat say that they cared about her. She nodded softly and her mentor placed a hand on her head to calm her.

"There is nothing that we won't be able to deal with, today included," the older woman continued and while her voice was still calming, it also got sterner.

Peter threw a worried glance towards Lucy.

"If getting into trouble meant leaving this family, I would've been thrown out ages ago," he joked and elicited a smile from his friend.

"Exactly," Tony chimed in. "We won't always be happy with your choices but making mistakes and getting into trouble are part of being a teenager. That doesn't mean we want you to break the rules but in case it happens, we have our little handbook and our consequences. You think we'd go through all that trouble if we planned on throwing you out if something did happen?" he challenged the girl.

Lucy shook her head mutely and relief settled in her chest. A look to Natasha's face had her smile smothered though because the disappointment had returned to the woman's eyes.

"I think we should probably move on to the punishment then?" Nat prompted.

Tony nodded. "You are both grounded from all labs for two weeks. Also, you can expect to not be allowed in any lab without supervision for the foreseeable future."

He recognized the teens' dejected looks but continued with a sternness Lucy wasn't used to from him.

"We were very close to giving you additional privileges, specifically allowing you to work on certain projects unsupervised in the main lab. This is not going to happen now because you've just proven that apparently our trust and confidence in your maturity was misplaced."

His words hit Lucy hard. She couldn't deny any of them but hearing it laid out so plainly made her feel ten times worse.

Natasha sighed loudly. "I think Lucy and I are going to continue this discussion upstairs."

Lucy's eyes darted up and her stomach turned because she knew what was coming. With weak knees, she stood up and let herself be led out the office and towards the elevator with Natasha's hand on her shoulder.

On their own floor, Lucy's mentor steered her towards her bedroom door and Lucy got inside without hesitation. Natasha sat herself on the bed and eyed Lucy with a firm expression. Lucy's breath hitched and she didn't attempt to conceal her nervousness.

"This is the first time we have to do this and I don't expect it to be the last one." Natasha didn't sound disappointed but spoke rather plainly.

"Unbutton your jeans."

Lucy obeyed immediately and as soon as she had followed the order, Natasha took her wrist and pulled the younger woman gently over her lap. Lucy huffed on impact and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at the childish situation. Then again, her actions had been nothing but childish, her brain conceded and embarrassment over what she'd done took over again. Natasha placed a comforting, stabilizing hand on Lucy's back before pulling down her pants causing Lucy to bury her head in her arms.

The first swat took Lucy by surprise but it wasn't as bad as she feared. Natasha continued spanking methodically, covering the entirety of Lucy's backside. After the first cycle, Lucy found it much harder not to squirm as the continued blows were hitting already sore spots. After the second, Lucy started sniffling and felt a constant stinging pain that got worse with each smack.

Natasha stopped and rested a hand on Lucy bottom.

"Why are we here?"

Lucy had dreaded the question and hoped Natasha wouldn't ask her to speak during the punishment. She felt emotionally upheveled already and didn't think she could form coherent sentences. Nevertheless, she tried. She didn't want to disappoint Natasha any further today.

"I broke the rules and went into the lab without supervision." She stocked and Natasha agreed while rubbing her back, encouraging her to go on.

"I was reckless and destroyed the lab while trying out armor we weren't allowed to."

Natasha stopped rubbing her back.

"Correct. You and Peter are lucky that you didn't get hurt. You know full well that the lab is not a playground and I expect better. That wasn't just reckless and dangerous behavior but also a violation of the trust we put into you. You heard Tony, we were thinking of letting you work without supervision but that requires maturity and a degree of trust that neither you nor Peter possess right now. Before we let you work on your own, you'll have to show us that you can be responsible and build that level of trust again."

Lucy sniffed. "I will do, I promise!"

Natasha smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. This will also never happen again. I don't expect having to correct you for the same issue twice. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lucy agreed.

She could feel Natasha pull down her panties and closed her eyes. She should've known this wasn't over yet.

Natasha continued delivering smack after smack to Lucy's bare now. Lucy couldn't keep the tears at bay anymore and they slowly made their way to her eyes as her bottom turned a deeper and deeper shade of red. She started to apologize and cry earnestly. Natasha tipped her forward and started spanking Lucy's sit spots, so that the effects of the punishment would be felt every time Lucy sat down during the next few days. Lucy tried to hold herself together as the sensitive area was attacked but it wasn't long before the first sob escaped her and she went limb over Natasha's knee.

This was the sign her mentor had been waiting for and as soon as Lucy completely submitted to the punishment, Natasha stopped and started rubbing her back.

"Shhhh… it's over, pticka," Natasha quietly said, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

The nickname that Lucy hadn't heard in years hit her right in the gut and she couldn't control her sobbing anymore.

Natasha decided Lucy wouldn't calm down over her lap, so she carefully pulled her clothes back in place and straightened her up before placing Lucy in her lap and hugging her tight.

"It's alright, it's over, shhhh…"

Lucy still showed no sign of calming so Natasha placed her head on top of her protégé's and quietly sang a lullaby in Russian. It had the desired effect and within minutes, Lucy's sobs had quieted down and her breathing got slower. Natasha smiled. She had known Zora, Lucy's nanny, who'd been a Russian Shield agent before she herself came to the organisation. She knew that Zora and even Peggy sometimes had spoken to Lucy in Russian and that the language was probably her first or at least one she'd learned from birth.

She decided to try again. "Are you okay?"

Lucy gave a tired nod. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked up at Natasha with curious eyes. "Zora always sung that to me when I couldn't fall asleep."

Natasha smiled softly. "Yes, I figured it would calm you down."

"I'm so sorry," Lucy sighed again. "I don't know why I did it but it will never happen again, I swear!"

"I know, and now that you were disciplined, it's all over." Natasha smiled at her charge.

"We're good."

Lucy snuggled closer.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," she murmured almost to herself.

Natasha let out a deep breath and in response held on to Lucy tighter. "I think the better question would be, what did I do to deserve you."

Lucy looked at her with incredulous eyes. Natasha smiled and rubbed her arms.

"I never in a million years thought I'd ever be anything close to a mother. But believe me, this is the best feeling I've ever had."

"Better than defeating an entire army of Chitauri? I don't buy that," Lucy grinned.

Natasha let out a short laugh. "A hundred times better, even though it's the first time I'm doing this."

Lucy smiled. "And yet you're doing a damn good job."

Natasha smiled but Lucy could definitely make out some sparkle in her eyes.

"You know my parents and how absolutely terrible my mother is," Lucy sighed. "And I've only ever had Zora and grandma and ever since they passed away… I was alone, but now – now I have you and you're the best mother figure I could wish for."

"Lucy…" Natasha interrupted her softly but Lucy didn't stop.

"You're tough and brave and a Shield agent and everything I ever wanted to be and now you care about me and you understand me and it's everything I ever wished for and I can't believe it's actually happening to me and I'm just so grateful and whatever I do, I never want you to forget that." Lucy's voice had started to crack by the end of the sentence and there were definitely tears glistening in Natasha's eyes.

"Thank you, pticka," Natasha responded quietly, placing a kiss on Lucy's forehead.

"I won't forget it if you promise me to remember that we will always want to have you in our family, no matter what. You could burn this entire tower down and I will still love you." The glint in Lucy's eye caused Nat's voice to become strict. "That doesn't mean I'll be pleased if you do it."

Lucy grinned and Natasha pulled her close again, placing her chin on top of the younger woman's head. Lucy pressed against Nat's chest and listened to her heartbeat. They sat like this in silence for a few minutes, processing everything they'd admitted to each and Lucy reveled in the comfort she hadn't experienced in a long time.

After a few minutes, the two pulled away and Natasha considered Lucy with a firm look.

"I think you should apologize to Tony and Bruce as well, considering they are the ones responsible for your lab work."

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! I just hope they won't decide we're too stupid to continue working in the lab."

Natasha smiled. "I highly doubt that."

Lucy grinned and Natasha ruffled her hair before the two went downstairs to the others. Bruce and Tony were both still in the lab and as soon as the two women got there, Lucy apologized and was hugged by both. Bruce had assessed the damage and concluded that it wasn't too bad and quite easily fixable. Tony assured her that by the time she was allowed back in the lab everything would be fine. As Lucy turned to leave, he called after her that Peter was in his room but that wasn't the first order of business Lucy wanted to attend to.

She went to Steve and Wanda's floor and knocked on Steve's office door. Lucy heard the firm voice of the Captain answering and slid inside, pulling the door shut after her. Steve's office was exactly what Lucy expected. Forties style, quite spartan, yet he still managed to give it a distinct feeling of homeliness. Lucy took a deep breath and focused her attention on the blond man behind the desk who looked at her expectantly but not unfriendly.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute," Lucy asked politely.

Steve pointed to the chair in front of the desk. "Yes, of course, have a seat." He leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you, Lucy?"

She held his gaze although it wasn't easy. "I would like to apologize. I know you're not my guardian or responsible for the lab but I know that you were disappointed in my actions and I promise it won't happen again."

A smile crept on Steve's lips and his features relaxed. "Thank you, Lucy, it means a lot to me." He considered her twitching on the wooden chair with a twinkle in his eyes. "I assume you had a discussion with Natasha?"

Lucy smiled ruefully. "Yes, and it wasn't pleasant but we talked afterwards and we're good now."

"I'm glad," Steve nodded slowly.

Silence settled in the office as Lucy carefully thought over her next words.

"I was trying to figure out why your disappointed look hit me so hard."

Steve cocked his head in curiosity.

"I know why. Every time I see the disappointment in your face I think of grandma and what she would think of me." Lucy bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"I don't know if she'd be disappointed as well – probably, considering I have a chance with the Avengers and all I do is create trouble."

Steve intervened without missing a beat. "That's not true. You made a mistake which is something all teenagers do - just, you know – most teenagers don't have access to an entire private lab." He gave Lucy a smile which she reciprocated.

"I think your grandmother would be very proud of you for owning up to your actions and accepting the consequences. You're a wonderful kid, you're brilliant and respectful and generally a delight to be around. I'm sure Peggy is very impressed with the young woman you've become and she'd want you to continue like this."

For the second time in one day, Lucy felt tears of emotional upheaval pricking at her eyes.

"I can see so much of her in you and believe me when I say that you will become just as accomplished as she was. I will always be proud of you for that." As Steve finished, he got out of his chair and walked around the desk to lift up Lucy, who now had some errant tears running down her face and hugged her tightly. She clung onto him and started sobbing.

"I just miss her so much, every day I miss her and it's not getting easier, she's gone and I miss her and –" She stopped and just cried into Steve's shoulder.

Stroking the girl's hair, he sighed heavily and was reminded of his own pain; pain of having everyone he'd known dead upon returning from the ice – everyone except Peggy. Her death was hard-hitting in a way he couldn't describe. But he had something to focus his grief on now. Wanda had helped a lot, then came Peter and now Lucy who connected to his own ache in a way no one else could. He had to work through this himself and help Lucy work through it too, by providing comfort and a safe and stable home. It's what Peggy would expect him to do and he was not going to let her down – not again. He had the opportunity to raise three kids, including the granddaughter of the strongest woman he'd known and he was going to do the best he could. Steve was glad that Nat was the primary guardian for Lucy though, the two were two peas in the same pot. The spy was able to handle Lucy's impulsive tendencies that so often reminded him of Howard. He couldn't help but be convinced that Peggy would be overjoyed with the home her granddaughter had found.

Lucy had calmed down a little and pulled away from the hug but Steve held onto her shoulders and with a gentle smile, locked eyes with her.

"How would you like for us to go visit Peggy's grave tomorrow? We'll bring her some flowers, light a candle, read her some poems, tell her about you living with us… I don't think you've told her yet."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief before her smile spread and gratefulness swept across her face.

"I'd like that a lot."

Steve smiled and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "We'll go right after breakfast and afterwards we'll get some lunch, how does that sound?"

"Amazing," Lucy responded with glowing eyes. "And thank you. I don't know how I kept going before but now I couldn't imagine getting along without all of you… it's scary in a way though."

"But we'll always be here," Steve affirmed her. "I promise – and you know what I think about those."

Lucy nodded. "Unbreakable."

Steve smiled. "Exactly."

She left the office, feeling so light in the chest that she could scarcely believe it. Since she was already on this floor, Lucy decided to visit Wanda, if only to give the young witch the satisfaction of going –

"I told you so" was the first thing that greeted Lucy upon entering Wanda's room.

Lucy gave her a good-natured smile. "Yeah, ok, I admit it, we were stupid."

The other girl hugged her and pitifully inspected her.

"How was your first punishment? I mean Natasha is strict enough during training, I couldn't imagine handling her discipline."

Lucy shrugged. "It didn't feel great, obviously, but we talked afterwards and got quite emotional. I was a bit terrified they'd decide I was too much trouble and send me away."

"Never!" Wanda exclaimed. "I ran away twice on the first day we were back at the base and not even exonerated yet. Once you are part of this family, you'll never get out."

Lucy grinned. "Sounds like a cult."

"It is, but instead of world peace we get chocolate milk and ice cream sundaes if we obey," Wanda giggled.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh and the girl kept snickering until a knock on the door interrupted them. Peter entered and Wanda proceeded with the same treatment that she'd given Lucy before. He was good-natured enough to take it in stride and also inquired after Lucy's first experience and was impressed by how well she handled it.

"I bet Cap was happy that he didn't have to handle you today," Peter smirked.

Wanda grinned. "Oh, you bet, though he is getting more comfortable with it… I gotta stop that."

Lucy sighed. "I could tell he was disappointed as well."

"Obviously," Wanda said without missing a beat. "He cares about all of us, he's the Captain for a reason."

Lucy nodded. "I went to apologize to him too –"

"Oh, I bet he loved that," Peter interrupted but stopped after seeing Wanda's face. "Sorry, continue."

"I got a little emotional, because it just reminded me of my grandmother," Lucy sighed. "But he was nice and said we'd work through it together. We're gonna visit her grave tomorrow."

Wanda had a proud grin on her face. "I told you we all care. It's gonna be great and you'll heal, I promise."

Lucy gave her a serious look. "Have you?"

Wanda considered the question carefully. "I'll always miss Pietro deep down but that doesn't have to stop you from healing. I didn't, not for a long time and it only really began when we got here and became a family. It still hurts but I can feel it getting better with every day. It's not easy but having everyone here around you is an opportunity for the heart to repair – it can't do that when you're on your own."

Lucy nodded thoughtfully and rested her head on Wanda's shoulder.

Peter smiled at the girls and climbed onto the bed, hugging both.

"I'm always here, remember? The three of us are a team and nothing will ever tear us apart."

Lucy closed her eyes and soaked in the comfort her friends were offering. She couldn't believe she was happy but it was real and true so she might as well enjoy it.


	3. Joyride

Joyride

The kids could hear the voices of the adults at the front door, finishing off paperwork and talking to the cops who had brought them home. Lucy stared at the kitchen table where she was currently sat at, placed right there with the others when their mentors had caught up with them. Wanda sat next to her and Lucy could feel the regret and shame radiating from the other girl. Peter, sitting opposite them, also had his head sunk and tried not to look too nervous.

Lucy could hear the door move and feel the adults enter the room and stand before the table.

"Someone explain what happened tonight."

Steve's order was clear and his voice stern but calm. Lucy could feel Wanda next to her slump even more, which was to be expected since Steve was her guardian and he was obviously not amused - but then, they all knew that none of their mentors were in a joking mood at this point.

It was Labor Day weekend and Tony had decided that the kids deserved a break after school had been in session for a few weeks. They all went out to Malibu and while it wasn't Lucy's first time on neither a private plane, nor in California, she hadn't been out of New York in months. It could've been a completely relaxing short holiday if not for her stupid decisions. For some reason, Lucy had thought it'd be a good idea to take one of Tony's cars and go on a drive along the coast and dragged the others with her – though it didn't take much dragging after she told them that Tony allowed her to do so. Obviously, that wasn't true, but they could've gotten away with it, had it not been for the speeding and thus getting caught by the cops. Now, she was gonna pay for it – and it wasn't gonna be pretty.

The kids kept quiet and Lucy just hoped that their mentors would jump to the punishment without further talk, before she heard Natasha clear her throat, obviously expecting Lucy to start explaining. She forced herself to look up at her mentor who watched her with a strict expression and hard eyes. Lucy swallowed and started.

"We thought we saw something outside that didn't look quite right so we thought it'd be best to see what it was. The fastest thing we could find was the car, so we took that to see –"

"Lucy," Natasha stopped her explanation steely and gave her the look Lucy dreaded.

She always wondered how Natasha could see through her and her lies so easily and knowing that her guardian knew exactly that she had tried to deceive her made her heart skip a beat.

Lucy sunk her head again and quickly threw the others a glance - they still found the table too interesting to look anyone in the face. She took a deep breath and forced herself to hold Natasha's stare. Her mentor could be terrifying but she wanted her to believe her when she told the truth.

"It's my fault and my responsibility. I was annoyed because we were ordered to stay at home, so I told the others that Tony had allowed me to take one of his cars on a ride, so we wouldn't be so bored. They didn't know I wasn't allowed to take the car and I was also the one driving."

Lucy had to sink her head again as she finished because she could feel the disappointed gazes of Steve, Tony, Bruce and Clint weighing on her like bricks. Natasha had returned to her stoic features but that made Lucy just more nervous. If Natasha didn't show her stern disappointed face anymore but no emotion at all, she had really messed up. The others just looked at her in surprise - though not surprise that she'd lied to them. They weren't stupid, of course they hadn't bought her story for a moment, but they were happy to go along in ignorant bliss if it meant having some fun. They were surprised that Lucy would take the entirety of the blame on herself. Lucy thought it shouldn't surprise them, really. She had a tendency of claiming responsibility and it truly was mostly her fault because without her story, the others probably wouldn't even have gotten the idea to take one of the cars and speed down the highway in the middle of the night when they were ordered to stay in.

"Lucy, I believe you and I need to have a long discussion," Natasha addressed her sternly and Lucy immediately understood the order and was at her mentor's side in seconds.

She followed her upstairs to her bedroom and stood next to her bed as Natasha closed the door.

"Have a seat."

Lucy sighed. She'd hoped they could just get the discipline behind them but of course Natasha wanted to talk. Lucy squirmed. She'd rather take two spankings than having to endure and answer to her guardian's disappointment.

"Why?"

The word cut through Lucy and she knew she had to answer the question, even though she really didn't want to.

"I was bored."

It was a childish reason and now that she had to say it out loud, it sounded even stupider. Natasha gave her that imploring look again and Lucy looked down on her hands.

"That's a stupid reason, just like all your actions today, and you, my dear protégé, aren't stupid."

She shouldn't feel warm and safe when she was about to get her ass handed to her but Lucy couldn't help the security spreading inside when she heard Natasha's words and she looked up again.

"I wanted to fit in with the others," she admitted. "They're all normal but I'm the serious one with all the legacy and responsibility weighing on me. I just wanted to have some fun, show them that I can be just like that."

If Natasha had suspected anything, she didn't let it show. Instead she asked, "did the others ever say anything? Exclude you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, never, it's just a feeling I kept getting inside."

This sounded dumber and dumber by the minute.

"If you feel like that the next time," Natasha spoke up again, "talk to the others or come to me and we'll figure something out. Getting into trouble, risking your safety and betraying the trust of the team is not the way to go about it. Is that understood?"

Her voice got very stern by the end but she was still calm. Lucy winced and wished she would start yelling, that would make it more bearable. Her calm demeanor made Lucy feel ten times worse than before.

She nodded and only managed a soft whisper. "Yes ma'am".

"Well, then, there's no reason to belabor this any longer." Natasha looked at her determinedly.

"Unbutton your pants and over my knee."

Lucy stood up and swallowed as she slowly moved her hands to her hips but then stopped. This was going to be worse than what she'd gotten before. Since the lab incident she had managed to stay out of trouble and that one had been equally her and Peter's fault, where they didn't endanger anyone but themselves. This time, Lucy had taken the main part and not only disobeyed a direct order but also put her and her teammates and other peoples' lives in danger. This was going to suck big time. Lucy sniffled, unable to meet Natasha's eyes. Nat stood up and raised Lucy's chin so that the younger woman had to look at her.

"If you hate something but have to do it?" she prompted.

"Get it over with!" Lucy replied as she had been taught and nodded quickly.

Taking a deep breath, she unbuttoned her jeans and lowered herself over Natasha's knees. Her mentor rubbed her back and then pulled down her pants and panties in one fell swoop. Lucy gulped. No warm-up over her underwear meant this was going to be severe. Not that she didn't deserve it, Lucy thought. She could kick herself for her actions and wished that she could reverse them. She felt Natasha's left hand pressing down on her back and yelped as the first swat hit her bottom.

Natasha continued to methodically spank her and soon Lucy started sniffling and wiggling but she used all her self-discipline to stay in place. When Lucy's bottom had taken on a uniform red color, Natasha stopped and started to talk.

"What you did today was incredibly stupid and dangerous."

Tears started to prick at the corner of Lucy's eyes but she could still hold them back.

"I'm very disappointed in your actions. Getting into trouble is not the way to get accepted by your teammates."

Natasha's words cut through Lucy like a knife and she had to try harder to keep her tears at bay, especially as Natasha continued spanking.

"Now, tell me why we are here."

"Because I took Tony's car without permission-"

"And what is that called?" Natasha inquired in a sharp voice.

"I stole it." Lucy's voice was quivering and Natasha could hear the guilt weighing in it.

"Good, what else?"

"I coaxed the others into breaking a direct order and coming out with me."

Natasha nodded. "How did you get them to break the rules?"

The tears started to flow freely now and Lucy's voice was strained as she answered. "I lied to them."

"Exactly," Natasha continued as she tipped Lucy forward to land swats on her sit spots where her protégé would feel it in the coming days every time she sat down.

"The others aren't stupid and I don't believe for a second that they actually bought your story."

Lucy squirmed uncomfortably. Natasha was far too close to her mind again and she wondered once again how the older women seemed to see through her so easily.

"But I'm leaving that to their mentors to deal with. We are looking at your actions in a bubble and the fact of the matter is that you lied to your teammates and that is absolutely unacceptable. It's a breaking of trust between the three of you, not to mention the abuse of the trust we adults put into you to obey a direct order."

Lucy wanted to be swallowed by the ground. She felt so ashamed of her actions and of the fact that she hadn't considered all the consequences to her actions Natasha now listed. She didn't have to worry she wouldn't be held accountable though, as Natasha now picked up her ruler she reserved for especially severe discipline. Lucy stiffened. She'd never experienced the ruler first hand; the one time Nat had threatened her with it was enough to keep her in line – until now apparently.

"What did you then do after you've stolen the car?"

Lucy's answer was intercut with sniffling and tears.

"I was driving around and speeding and then stopped by the police."

She yelped as Natasha started to use the ruler and methodically covered her backside. The stinging pain was worse than what Natasha inflicted with just her hands and Lucy started to cry earnestly.

"Your choices were absolutely unacceptable, dangerous and disappointing. Driving on roads you don't know, at night, and speeding could have hurt you, the others and innocent people. I expect better from you and you know it. I know you can do better than that and should we ever find ourselves in this situation again for this same problem, today will seem like a warm up. Are we clear?"

Lucy flinched at the stern tone and answered immediately. "Yes, ma'am."

Natasha nodded and tipped Lucy forward again to also land some smacks with the ruler on her sit spots. "Now why did you do it? Why did you choose to do something so absolutely unacceptable and stupid to get approval from the others? And why now?"

Lucy squirmed harder and really didn't want to answer her mentor. She couldn't form the words. Natasha smiled knowingly and while continuing to deliver blows to Lucy's bottom, she decided to help her protégé.

"Sometimes we do things we can't justify even to ourselves. When we become comfortable with the people around us, we sometimes want to see where their limits lie. We're testing them."

She watched Lucy squirm uncomfortably and it wasn't just from the swats. Lucy didn't like the exploration in her mind but she couldn't deny that Natasha was right.

"Let me tell you right now that you've reached that limit. I will not let you endanger your life or anyone else's because you want to push me further. I love you too much to let you do that."

Hearing Natasha's words was too much for Lucy to bear and she started sobbing and went limb over the older woman's lap. Her mentor stopped the spanking and rubbed in circles on Lucy's back until the younger woman had calmed down. She then put her clothes back, helped her up and settled her on her lap. Lucy threw her arms around her mentor and was engulfed in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Nat, I swear it will never happen again," Lucy sobbed into Natasha's shoulder.

"I know you are," her mentor replied in a calming voice. "And you've been punished and forgiven. I don't expect having to correct you for this again."

Lucy's enthusiastic shaking of her head elicited a smile from Natasha. "That's my girl."

"I'm very proud of you, pticka." She acknowledged Lucy's confused look with another smile. "You were the only one who owned up and answered Steve when he asked you all, with only a little prompting. You took responsibility for your actions and that's just what I expect from you."

Lucy smiled and snuggled closer to her mentor. "Well, I had the best teacher." She smiled at Natasha who pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I want you to understand just how dangerous what you did was, so you're grounded; a month on good behavior."

Lucy nodded, having expected this before they even started.

"The usual drill, no friends over, and I'm sure Tony will have some chores for you to make up for taking his car."

"Yes, ma'am," Lucy answered clearly.

"And you'll apologize to the other adults for giving them the shock of their lives and to your teammates for lying to them."

Lucy bit her lip but nodded obediently.

"Good girl," Natasha praised and Lucy reveled in her comfort again.

After Lucy had calmed completely, the two of them went downstairs to join the others again and first met the adults who were still gathered in the kitchen. Lucy straightened her back and walked towards the others. She knew what Natasha expected and she might as well get it over with quickly. She faced the other adults and looked them straight in the eyes.

"I'm sorry for disobeying your orders, Steve, and I'm sorry for - for giving you all the shock of your lives." She turned to Tony and directed her gaze to his face. "Tony, I'm very sorry for taking your car without your permission."

"We thought you might have some chores for her to help you with during her grounding to make up for it." Natasha's voice didn't leave any room for disagreement if Tony had ever thought to.

The faces of the adults turned friendly and each engulfed Lucy in a big hug.

Tony smiled at her. "We'll find something for you to do, don't worry."

Lucy smiled back at him, knowing that while Natasha wouldn't allow her to have fun during her punishment it wouldn't be too terrible with Tony.

Steve stroked her hair. "The other are in the next room, if you want to join them."

Lucy threw a quick look back to Natasha who nodded but had the unspoken reminder in her face. Lucy smiled and nodded before going off into the living area.

Her teammates were spread on the sofa, trying to decide which movie to watch that night.

"You're alive!" Peter sounded surprised and Wanda nodded with him.

"It wasn't that bad," Lucy deflected their amazement. "Listen guys, I'm really sorry for lying to you about being allowed to take that car. I don't want to ruin the trust between us."

Wanda waved her apology away. "You got nothing to be sorry for. We shouldn't have believed but stopped you and definitely not gone along with the idea." She threw Peter a pointed look who gave a tortured smile.

"Yeah, I was just too happy to pretend you weren't lying so…" he trailed off.

"So, what did you all get then? Considering we all broke the order to stay in?" Lucy looked at each of her friends.

"Spanking," Wanda murmured and Peter agreed in a low voice.

"Though not as bad as you probably," Peter offered with a wonky smile. Lucy sighed. Natasha was a difficult mentor but she wouldn't have traded her for the world.

"And no grounding, that's just you," Wanda added.

"At least it's over with and we'll never think of anything this stupid again," Lucy sighed.

Peter grinned. "Until we do."

Wanda gave him a dry smile. "You're on your own. I don't wanna incur Steve's wrath for a long time."

Lucy silently agreed with her friend. Natasha was strict enough in everyday handling and she didn't exactly want to experience her discipline sternness on a regular level.

"What movie have you guys chosen then?"

###

Natasha watched Lucy disappear through the door into the living area, content that her protégé would apologize to her teammates even without her supervision.

Steve sighed. "I assume you had a long and painful talk then?"

Natasha nodded. "As did you?"

Steve and Tony agreed and Natasha gave a wry smile.

"She's grounded for a month with no friends over and you can find some chores for her to do to make up for taking that car," she addressed Tony. "Nothing that will be fun. This is punishment, not fun lab activity."

Tony swallowed and nodded. Even he was scared of Natasha and wondered how Lucy survived her discipline.

"I'm very impressed," Clint started. "She confessed really quickly and you caught her in her lie so easily. How do you do that?"

Natasha smiled. "I know her. It's obvious when she's not being truthful and I like to think that I installed enough moral compass in her that she knows when lying is just absolutely wrong. Also, she knows that it'll just get her in more trouble. The truth will always come out."

"Very good lessons indeed," Steve agreed.

Bruce smiled too. "I'm glad to see her so happy so close to a punishment session. She was definitely not as subdued as I expected her to be."

"She felt very guilty, I could tell," Natasha explained. "She was relived after we finished to get a clean slate, so obviously she's more than happy now."

The adults smiled at each other and made their way into the living area where the kids had just decided to watch Star Wars.

The adults sat on the sofa with their respective charges and Lucy snuggled close to Natasha who put an arm around the girl. Lucy buried her head in Natasha's shoulder as the text crawl started to flow across the screen. She felt more secure and content than she had in her long time, possibly since her grandma was alive, and she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have this family.


	4. Rebellion

Rebellion

"D."

The red letter stared her in the face, almost lifted itself up from the page. Lucy gave it another incredulous look before turning to Peter who was staring at her.

"It's not the end of the world you know. You didn't even fail."

"This is the worst grade I've ever had," Peter said, panicked. "And it's the first test in the year. This is a disaster."

Lucy sighed and turned to Wanda. "Back me up here, this isn't terrible."

Wanda made a face. "I don't know. Tony did say that he'll only let him out as Spiderman if he keeps his grades up."

"And you are absolutely sure that it's a D because of him being Spiderman?" Lucy shook her head. "I can't believe that."

"Could you stop talking about me as if I'm not there?" Peter asked exasperatedly. "We need to find a solution."

"Ok then," Lucy started in a no-nonsense voice that she definitely copied from Nat. "Why did you get a D?"

Now it was Peter's turn to grimace. "'Cause I didn't spend enough time on the report. It's not that I didn't understand the topic but I was out so much that I just couldn't finish it."

Lucy groaned. "Are you serious? And Tony already warned you about it? You're dumber than I thought."

"That's harsh," Peter sulked. "And he didn't warn me before… not really at least. He just said that I can't go out if my grades slip."

Lucy gave him an unbelieving look. "What do you think a warning is?"

Peter just shrugged. It was a Tuesday night in mid September and the kids had relocated to Peter's room after dinner. He was staying at the tower because May was working the night shift and she didn't want to leave him home alone. Lucy couldn't blame her – this was a prime example of neither Peter's common, nor his spidey sense working.

"I don't see what you can do about this. Go to your teacher, butter him up with some excuse of why you couldn't do better, ask to redo the report. If he says no, just tell Tony if he asks. I don't see how you could get out of this." Lucy shook her head. "You're an idiot but you're an even greater idiot if you try anything stupid."

"Mr Morton is never gonna change my grade," Peter sounded dejected. "He hates me."

"I wonder why," Lucy murmured, earning herself an evil glare from the spiderling who sighed heavily again.

"I need a solution to this and none of you are helping."

Wanda had been quiet so far but now she sported a small smile. "I have an idea but it's outlandish and probably not a good idea."

Lucy yanked her head towards the young witch and gave her a glare. "If you think it's a bad idea, it is a horrendous one."

"What is it?" Peter obviously sounded excited.

Lucy closed her eyes in pessimistic expectation.

"I thought I could use my powers to change your teacher's memory, implant another one where you've delivered better work and then ask him to give you another report because you've lost the first copy. He's gonna give you an A, everyone is happy."

"Yeah, everyone except you two, because you're gonna get your ass kicked." Lucy opened her eyes again and considered Wanda with narrowed eyes. "You just want to try out your powers – you know exactly you can't use them. That's like me using my suit on the street to get to school."

Peter's eyes shone. "But it's gonna keep me from getting into trouble."

"It's not!" Lucy was at her wit's end with these two. "The worst that'll happen now is you getting a lecture and being grounded from Spiderman until your grades go up – that's like, what, two weeks? If you change your teacher's memory – I can't believe you're actually considering that – you're gonna get your ass kicked, both of you."

Wanda looked thoughtful. "You are correct but you forgot one detail." She grinned. "We're only gonna be in trouble if we get caught and I'm good."

Lucy shook her head. "Do whatever you want but leave me out of this. I don't exactly wanna be in trouble with Nat, not when I've just finished my grounding from Joyride." She threw Peter a pointed look before getting up and, with another sigh towards the others, left the room towards the elevator.

Back on her own floor, she made her way towards the small kitchen and living area that Tony built in on every floor. It was rarely used because most days everyone ate on the common floor since the tower family used dinner as an opportunity to get together and keep each other updated on their lives, but the fridge was nevertheless well-stocked. Lucy pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk and sat herself on the sofa, tuning in to Jeopardy. She was sure the others were busy planning their stupid mission and didn't have time to solve some actual puzzles. Oh well, their loss. As the opening tune ended Lucy heard someone entering the apartment from the elevator and a few seconds later, Natasha stepped into the living room. She glanced at the TV before sinking down next to Lucy and, draping an arm around her protégé, joined in the program. Lucy yelled a few answers too loudly but Nat only grinned and placed a calming hand on her shoulder now and then. During the first commercial break, the spy turned to the younger woman.

"Aren't the others watching?"

Lucy shook her head. "Nope, they're busy with school work."

As her mentor nodded understandingly, Lucy stole a quick glance at her and only narrowly stopped herself from feeling guilty. It wasn't a lie and Lucy would never sell her teammates out as long as it wasn't dangerous, but the level of trust Natasha put in her was incredible. The lab incident and the Joyride had been bad enough and she promised herself she wouldn't disappoint her mentor again. So far, she did a good job at turning down opportunities for trouble, she thought to herself satisfied. After Jeopardy finished, the two stayed on the couch as Mulan started and just enjoyed the quiet downtime they could spend with just each other. Lucy had loved her grandmother but Peggy had never been the type to sit down and watch movies with her, so having some quality time with Nat, just relaxing and hanging out was a new experience for her. She never thought she'd ever have a maternal figure that cared about her enough to keep her around even though she wasn't of use in that moment, but Nat was right next to her to prove the opposite. Lucy sighed and snuggled closer under the older woman's arm, feeling her tighten her grip.

Natasha knew Lucy still needed reassurance of her place in the family because she'd been rebuffed by her own parents so many times and Nat was willing to prove it to her over and over again by standing by her and caring about her actions until she'd finally believe it. When Clint brought her in instead of killing her, Peggy was the first to believe in her, introducing her into Shield and Nat never thought she'd be able to repay the agent for her trust. Now she was given the chance and she was sure not to let her down. Lucy resembled Peggy so much, but Nat also saw a lot of Howard in her, from what Fury and Steve told her about him. She'd made a solemn promise to Peggy that she would care for Lucy, giving her a stable home and keeping a reign on her self-destructive tendencies. They'd all seen how a neglected, rich child genius could turn out and while Tony did turn his life around, it took him the better part of three decades. Nat wasn't going to let Lucy make the same mistakes.

The movie finished and Lucy let out a long yawn.

Nat grinned. "You sound very tired." 

"I am," Lucy conceded, surprised by her own maturity. "I'm gonna head to bed."

The girl bent down to allow Nat to place a kiss on her forehead before making her way towards her bedroom. As she laid down and pulled the covers up, she knew instantly she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Lucy had never before suffered from many nightmares but ever since her grandmother died, they started appearing and while in school she just dealt with them by not sleeping. Here, that wasn't an option. Nat knew exactly if she didn't sleep and after she realized Lucy had problems, they had a long talk after which they agreed that Lucy would say something if the nightmares acted up again. It was hard for her in the beginning to not feel like a little child every time she went to Nat but it also felt good – her parents wouldn't have cared about nightmares in a million years. Sighing softly, Lucy crawled out of bed again and stepped into the living area on bare feet. Natasha obviously heard her coming – she was a spy after all – and cocked her head as she Lucy entering. The girl nodded and Nat immediately got up and put an arm around her shoulder as she led her back to bed. After tucking Lucy in, Nat sat on the edge of the bed and started stroking the girl's back soothingly while softly singing a Russian lullaby that always managed to send Lucy to sleep. The familiar sounds reminded her of an easier time when she was safe with her grandma and her nanny and her parents were unimportant. She had to get used to the fact that she now had people care about her again. It was with that thought that she finally fell asleep.

###

"I can't believe you actually did it."

Peter grinned and waved the piece of paper with a big, red A on it in front of Lucy's face.

"You're just jealous that you didn't have the guts to support my idea and now you're proven wrong and you're pissed." The triumphant tone in Peter's voice annoyed Lucy to no end so she turned to Wanda who looked just as content with herself as the spider.

"Oh, you're awfully pleased with yourself, aren't you?" Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you went along with this. What do you think is gonna happen when Steve finds out?"

"He won't!" Wanda sounded almost offended. "I told you it all ended well – my magic is working wonders."

"Fine," Lucy responded calmly. "I'm happy you're not banned from being Spiderman but I'm still on the fence about this whole situation."

"That's alright." Peter put a collegial arm around her shoulders. "Let's see if we can help out with dinner to something."

The trio went downstairs to join the others. Lucy was looking out to find Natasha who hadn't returned to their floor yet, meaning she must be downstairs helping with dinner. She had received the invitation to Olivia Waldorf's annual start of school party and she needed to tell Natasha when it was. She wasn't necessarily friends with any of them but they were acquaintances and – there. She didn't specifically want to go but it was the normal thing to do and usually there was also alcohol, so not a complete waste of time. She knew she wasn't allowed any but no one ever cared – part of teenage life after all.

Not only Nat was in the kitchen but also Pepper and Steve, who greeted the teens and asked them to set the table. Lucy thought now was as good a time as any.

"Nat?"

The older woman turned to face Lucy with a questioning look in her eyes.

"I got an invitation for Olivia Waldorf's party, so I'm gonna stay over there tomorrow night."

Lucy's mouth almost dropped open when Natasha shook her head.

"No, you're not. Your curfew is 10pm as always. I don't want you to go to that party, especially not during the week."

The others around them went quiet and watched expectantly as the events unfolded.

"I wasn't asking you." Lucy sounded disbelieving.

Nat shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe you should've because I'm saying no."

Now Lucy's mouth did drop open. "I've always gone to that party. I have to go this year, it's not a big deal! What's different now to last year?"

"You're living at the tower," Natasha explained plainly. "You've got our rules to follow and they say that you're not allowed."

Lucy huffed. "The rules can be changed for exceptions but you just don't want me having fun."

"If your definition of fun involves drinking yourself into oblivion at the Waldorf's then no, I don't want you having fun." Nat's tone was clear and preempted any argument. "You have a curfew and that's that."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "I had a curfew at school and they still let me extend it for that party."

Nat focused her gaze on the girl but Lucy was angry enough to hold it. "You don't even want to go, so why is it a big deal?"

This time Lucy felt irritated at how easily her mentor seemed to be reading her mind. No, she hadn't wanted to go to the party – but now she did.

"You don't know me. I want to go to that party – it's the most important date in the whole school year."

"If it's so important, then why didn't Wanda get an invitation?" Steve joined in and immediately regretted it when he saw Lucy's face.

"'Cause she's new and weird and they don't wanna invite her," Lucy shot back. "No offense."

Wanda snorted. "None taken but thanks."

Nat sighed. "This conversation is over, Lucy. You are not going to that party, so could we all sit down and start dinner?"

As if on cue, Bruce and Tony entered, evidently straight from the lab and Rhodey made his way out of the living room. Lucy stayed quiet during dinner, brooding at how unfair her situation was. Back at school, they only asked for confirmation by her parents that she was allowed to spend the night somewhere else and her parents didn't care one bit so they always gave it. It was ridiculous that Nat refused – she had no idea how these parties actually went, she was just jealous because she'd never been able to go to them herself.

Lucy went to bed still angry. Nat would know she hadn't calmed down completely but she probably thought she just needed some time. Lucy grinned. She wasn't going to stay in tomorrow, she'd sneak out, go down to the Waldorf's and be back without Natasha ever realizing she was gone. She didn't tell the others – it would only bring them into a sticky situation and she wouldn't want them to lie to their guardians if worst came to worst.

###

Lucy was lucky they were all given access keys for the entire building, including the front door at all times. Leaving the apartment wasn't hard and thankfully the ground floor was far away from any family members so she didn't have to worry about any beeping sounds the door might make. Living at the tower made going to Olivia's party even easier – she only lived two blocks away now and as soon as Lucy walked up to the building, she could see the party through the penthouse windows already. She flashed her invitation to the doorman outside and entered into the familiar apartment that had been transformed into a high-class high school party floor. Olivia wasn't hard to make out and Lucy went over to say high and was instantly led to the bar.

"We've got a new cocktail and it's gonna set the tone for the entire year," Olivia explained proudly. "It's called the Brainsquash, basically just a play on a classic Martini with grapefruit."

Lucy grinned. "Very inventive. I'll have one."

Olivia waved to the bartender. "Great choice. I gotta say hi to some other guests but the rest of the girls are over there."

Lucy grabbed her drink and followed Olivia's arm towards the group of girls from Columbia by the sofas. Just because they weren't her friends didn't mean she wouldn't be civil with them – it was all about appearances.

The party was nice, just about as exciting as any other year. Any other year, Lucy didn't have the nagging feeling of guilt in her stomach though. It was stupid, she hadn't been unreasonable, she'd gone every year for crying out loud. The feeling didn't go away though and with every sip of alcohol it intensified, so Lucy decided to cut the evening short and left shortly before one in the morning.

Getting into the tower was just as easy as getting out and Lucy made it to her floor without any problems. As she was about to open the door to her room, she heard Nat's voice and her blood run cold.

"Do I need to guess where you were?" Nat sounded disappointed and angry. Great, Lucy thought to herself, more guilt. She turned around slowly and gave her mentor a charming smile that disappeared from her face as soon as she saw the spy's expression. She settled on staying quiet and sinking her head.

"Go to bed and sleep." Natasha commanded with a sigh. "We'll talk in the morning and for your sake, stay in your room now."

Lucy quickly slid into her room, closing the door tight behind her and throwing herself onto the bed. She didn't want to feel bad, she was in the right after all, but something deep down still told her what she did was wrong. Burying her head in her pillow, Lucy decided to ignore that part and fell asleep; upset, defiant and angry.

The next morning, she got up feeling slightly out of sorts though she knew it wasn't because of the alcohol – she only had a glass and that was definitely not enough to get her hungover. With a dreading look towards the door, Lucy knew instantly why she was feeling off. Sighing and knowing she wouldn't be able to drag out the inevitable forever, she got dressed and walked out the room with her head held high – even though she had it coming, she didn't need to eat humble pie

As she got to the living area, her mentor was already waiting there and she gave her a long, stern glance.

"How are you feeling?"

Lucy smiled politely. "I'm good, thank you very much."

Nat sighed, knowing exactly where this conversation would lead. "Sit down please, I'd like this discussion to happen now."

Lucy still had a hard look on her face as she sat herself opposite to Natasha.

"Why did you go out last night after I specifically told you not to?" As always, Nat didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the problem.

Lucy didn't know what to answer. Because she always did it? Because she wanted to? None of those were excuses that Nat would accept but in her hard-headed stubbornness they were all valid reasons in Lucy's eyes. She decided no answer was better than any of the ones she came up with and kept her eyes focused solely on the table.

Nat sighed again. "I'm not just disappointed because you snuck out and broke the rules that we clearly outlined. That would've been bad enough. What upsets me more, is that I specifically told you not to go yet you still went and did it. That's not just plain disregard for the rules, that's disregard against a direct order."

Lucy grimaced. When Natasha played the direct-order card, she was angry on a completely different level.

"I always went to that party. Every single year I went, so why should this year be different?" Lucy narrowed her eyes again, not relenting in her stance.

"We've had this discussion before," Nat shook her head slightly. "You're not in school anymore, you're living here at the tower and there are different rules in place. You decided you wanted to live here and have me as your guardian, which means that not your parents decide whether you can go to parties but I do."

Lucy kept quiet. Nat was making sense but she wasn't going to admit it since she still believed she was in the right. She felt Nat's eyes on her, waiting for her to answer but she wasn't going to.

"You're grounded for two weeks and we're also having a discussion about this. Go to your room and wait for me."

Lucy's breath hitched. She could've seen this coming but she still didn't feel it was justified, so she lifted her head and did something that would've made Peter give her a Medal of Valor and Wanda pop her eyes out.

"No." Lucy was amazed at how calm her voice was.

Natasha gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"This isn't fair. I was only doing what I've always been doing. I didn't even get 'blackout drunk' and I wasn't home too late."

Her mentor still stayed calm but her eyes had a dangerous sparkle in them. "I don't care. You're following the rules, no matter what you've done before."

Lucy groaned and her voice got louder. "The rules are stupid! Why am I being punished for something I've always done?"

"Because every time you come to a new place, there's new rules to follow. If you want to live here at the tower, then you need to follow our rules."

Lucy narrowed her eyes and she could probably blame her hard-headedness for the way she snapped but, in the moment, it seemed like the only reasonable response.

"Well, then I don't want to live here anymore," she all but yelled.

Silence ensued at the table.

Nat shrugged her shoulders, her voice alarmingly composed. "Alright, if that's what you want. I'll call Columbia and you can move as soon as possible." She got up before Lucy could get another word in and left her protégé feeling confused but weirdly triumphant.

Lucy hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn but if that's what it took to get her way, then she'd leave. With a huff she got up and walked to her room, pulling her suitcase out and starting to pack. She ignored the turmoil within and with every item she packed into a box, her confidence in her decision grew. Natasha came by her room not long after and informed her that she could move to school the next day and even gave her a small smile. Lucy was still confused at how she wasn't angrier but her stubbornness allowed her to not care. Both Peter and Wanda visited her in the course of the day and while Wanda tried to convince her to stay at first, once she saw how sure Lucy was in her decision, she let it be. Everything kept quiet and Lucy was (kind of) happily packing up until a knock on her door interrupted her and after she answered, Clint stepped into the room. She sighed and sat on her bed, an expectant look in her eyes. She was sure Clint had already spoken to Natasha so she was prepared for a lecture. He didn't start talking immediately though and only sat himself next to her, glancing at the suitcase and boxes around the room.

"You're moving out?"

Lucy hadn't expected to be hit this hard by the disappointment in his voice but it made sense. This was Clint and he'd cared about her ever since she could run around the Shield offices, pretending to be an agent. Nevertheless, she had gathered confidence in her decision and looked straight back at him.

"Yes," she started firmly. "I don't agree with the rules so I don't think I can stay here anymore."

Clint's face remained stoic but Lucy sensed there was still underlying disappointment lingering.

"I'll still come over for training and lab work," she tried to sound cheerful. It didn't work as well as she wanted.

"But you won't be here every day, will you?" Clint gave her a long look that cut deep. Lucy always wondered how he, Nat and even Coulson had the ability to just look right threw her. "Are you sure you don't want to rethink? Is being grounded for two weeks really worth moving out and giving all this up?"

Lucy's heart dropped at his tone. She wanted to rethink her actions, she knew it had been a rash decision but she couldn't cave in now. She'd made her choice and going back would only mean losing her face and she was far too proud for that.

"It's not about the consequences," she reverted back to her old argument. "It's about principles. I can't do what I used to anymore and I'm not willing to give that up." She cocked up her chin and gave Clint a challenging look – although it took her some courage.

Clint sighed and got up. "If that's your choice, then we'll all go along with it. I'll see you next week for training." With that he left the room, leaving Lucy behind once more, on the outside sure in her decision but deep down confused.

Clint left and went to the living area of the floor where the other adults had gathered and waited for him with expectant looks. He only shrugged.

"She didn't reconsider. She's absolutely found her stance and she'll die on it." He grimaced as Nat sighed.

"I didn't expect anything different," she said, even managing a small smile. "You two are too similar… both just as hard-headed as the other."

Clint was about to argue but he had to concede and grinned wryly. Nat was right and him trying to prove her wrong would only cement her point.

"What are you gonna do then?" Steve asked softly.

"I'll let her move back to school," she explained calmly. "We can't keep her here if she doesn't want to and she's not going to stay here if she doesn't follow the rules."

Tony nodded. "I'm impressed. You're the newest at this parenting game but you're crushing it."

"Thanks," Nat responded with a dark gloom in her eyes. "I don't really feel that way right now, but we'll see."

Pepper put a reassuring arm around the spy. "This isn't your fault. It's Lucy's decision and she thinks this is what's best for her. She'll realize it's not right but that needs to happen on her terms."

Nat sighed and gave the other woman a thankful smile. "That's what I'm hoping but until then we just need to continue like we did when she wasn't living here."

###

Lucy didn't realize how quiet her room in school often was. Her warden had welcomed her back, having been informed that Lucy would stay in school until her guardian was back from travels. Her nightmares didn't get any better either and since she couldn't run to Natasha anymore, she just dealt with them. She told herself that the independence strengthened and helped her but the sleep deprivation started taking a toll. The other girls in schools were the same as usual but Lucy only really felt happy when she saw Wanda in class or both her and Peter back at the tower. She went back there a few times a week to work in the lab and train and while at first, she'd been slightly apprehensive towards the others, especially Nat, everyone had treated her completely normal. Her mentor had taken a step back in terms of the rules applying to her was she living at the tower; now it was only the training ones, Natasha agreed. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but it created a feeling of emptiness inside her. She missed the downtime, things like watching game shows and having breakfast although she was sure she didn't miss the stern glances or lectures from Nat when she caught her trying to sneak down to Wanda after she was supposed to be in bed or when she refused to get up for a morning run. No, she'd be crazy if she ever missed that.

Lucy had just finished a lab session with Bruce. Peter was notably absent though the scientist wouldn't tell her anything and she went upstairs to see Wanda before she had to return to school. Before she opened the door, she could hear Peter's muffled voice as well and as she went inside, she saw the two lying on Wanda's bed. Lucy gave them a curious glance and got regretful faces in response.

Peter sighed and decided to fill her in. "So, our teacher ploy didn't work as well as planned…" he trailed off with a long look to Wanda who sighed and continued.

"Apparently I don't have as much control over my powers as I thought and messing with Mr. Morton's memory also messed with his mind a bit too much."

Lucy shook her head silently and gave the two an exasperated look. "How did they catch you?"

"He was behaving weirdly during class and I asked him what was wrong and he seemed like he had amnesia." Peter sighed heavily. "We fessed up and they went in and got him in therapy and they're slowly gonna get his mind on track."

"So you're not completely dumb and tried to fix it yourselves," Lucy commented.

Wanda grinned ruefully. "We thought about it but it did seem a little extreme."

"That also explains why you were missing in the workshop today… getting your ass handed to you," Lucy addressed Peter with an eyeroll. "You also got grounded?"

Peter nodded. "Just me, until my grades go up – without magic."

Wanda and Lucy both giggled and Lucy dropped down next to her friends and grabbed a handful of chips while Peter complained. Time went by, the trio talking and having fun, but 9:30 came quickly and with a knock on the door, Happy interrupted them to take Lucy back to school.

###

Tony sighed as Peter left his office. The idea the boy and the young witch had come up with was borderline insane and he sometimes really questioned the kids' common sense – or lack thereof. The discussion had been long and thankfully the spider was rueful and understood that his actions were absolutely out of line. He shouldn't have been surprised though – sending the kids to school with superpowers would eventually lead to trouble, he'd never suspected anything different. Still, delivering a punishment was never easy on his nerves – how did he ever find himself in this position? But there was no way he'd ever give up his hold on the spider again. Peter had wormed his way into his heart and he'd forever care for him, no matter what happened. With a heavy sigh he made his way towards the common room floor and the bar – he needed a drink.

Natasha had just finished a report on the latest mission when she headed down towards the common room, in need of a workout to clear her mind. She knew Lucy was in the tower for lab work today and she couldn't help but feel a little stitch. Things had been slightly off in the beginning from the girl's side but Nat did her best to treat the situation completely normal as if the girl had never lived at the tower in the first place. She knew this had been Lucy's decision and both Pepper and May had reassured her so multiple times but in the weaker moments – that she had, though she didn't like to admit it – she questioned whether her decisions were ever any good. She didn't experience real parents so how did she ever think she was cut out for parenting a troubled child genius? With a sigh Natasha stepped out of the elevator and saw the resident adult genius in front of the minibar, obviously pondering which drink to get. Shaking her head, she stepped up to Tony.

"You know drinking isn't going to improve this," she drawled and Tony let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to look at her. When he saw her workout clothes, his expression softened slightly.

"It helps," he quipped but Nat only gave him a long, knowing look and slid herself forcefully between him and the bar.

"I'm headed down to the training room and I need a sparring partner," she said while pushing him further from the alcohol.

"What if I don't want to go?" Tony asked.

Natasha only narrowed her eyes and gave him one of her evil grins while continuing to separate him from the alcohol. "Then I'll persuade you."

Tony sighed. With a look into the spy's eyes he knew, she'd get him to the training room with or without his consent. He huffed and turned, stalking to the elevator. Nat let out a breath in relief. She knew punishing Peter was never easy for Tony but she also knew that the man had made more progress towards kicking his drinking habit since he'd started mentoring Peter than during the entire rest of his life. Lucy moving out wasn't an easy situation for her either but she had coping mechanisms and she would go to great lengths to ensure that Tony wouldn't fall back on bad, old habits. Even if it meant some tough love.

Training was hard, with both of them needing to vent their emotions but, needless to say, Nat owned Tony without question. After she'd hauled him on the floor a few times, she decided some scolding was appropriate.

"All those training sessions we've had and it's like we're right back at square one," Nat commented after having kicked Tony's legs out from under him. She set a foot on his chest and glared.

"You're angry, so use that anger and use your goddamned head. I know you can fight much better than this, so quit embarrassing yourself or I'll knock you unconscious and train by myself," she threatened.

Tony gritted his teeth and was obviously embarrassed to be so easily overpowered by her, but then – none of the Avengers could hold their own against Nat for long; maybe with the exception of Clint, solely because he knew her too well. Tony shoved her foot off his chest, got back on his feet and banned all thoughts of Peter from his head, focusing completely on his fight with Natasha. The rest of the night passed quickly, with the two exhausted parents trading blow after blow and Nat was finally satisfied that Tony was taking training seriously.

By the end, both sat on the floor, applying cream to their bruises and tending to any injuries. Nat cocked her head at the inventor.

"Feeling better?"

Tony just gave her a questioning look that had the spy sigh.

"You were angry with yourself, genius," she enlightened him. "I heard you punishing Peter and trust me, I know that wasn't easy."

He gave her a small smile that disappeared pretty quickly and was replaced by a lost look that made him look much younger.

"What the hell am I doing, Nat, thinking I can be a dad?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Peter never got in this much trouble before I got involved."

Nat immediately shook her head and smacked Tony on the back of the head, before looking into his eyes with a deadly serious expression.

"You are not to blame for the bad choices he makes, Tony. He's a teenager and they get into trouble and that's got nothing to do with how you used to be."

Tony held her gaze and with relief, Nat saw understanding dawn in them before he nodded mutely, so she continued.

"I don't know what a good father is supposed to be like but I know that I wouldn't have minded having a dad like you growing up."

She grinned at Tony's expression who was clearly stunned and moved by her words. It didn't take him long to find his voice though and when he did, it was uncharacteristically serious.

"You know, the same does to you."

Nat jerked her head towards him and eyed him warily. He gave her a tired smile.

"I know you're trying to keep this as normal as possible but I know that Lucy moving out is taking a toll on you." Even though Nat sighed and sunk her head, he kept going. "It's her decision and she'll eventually realize that what she's doing is stupid and she'll come back to us." He paused. "You're making a great mother. You've made the right call, all on your own, without consulting any mommy blogs."

Nat gave him a tired smile back at the dig at Steve. "So basically, we don't know how we ever got into these positions but we're both doing great?"

Tony nodded. "I'm gonna believe you that I'm doing the right thing, if you believe me that you're doing an equally great job."

He smiled as he elicited a nod from the Russian.

"I never thought I'd get so much wisdom out of you," Natasha admitted amusedly as the two got up and made their way towards the elevator.

Tony grinned. "Oh, you know, fatherhood is helping a lot… just you wait, I'm gonna overtake our Captain in that department eventually."

With a yelp, he only narrowly avoided the towel that Nat swung in his direction. Upstairs, both made their way to their respective bedrooms with solid promises to each other that they'd actually get some sleep.

###

October arrived, the air had gotten chilly and New York welcomed fall with open arms. Central Park was a colorful mixture of red, yellow and gold and the falling leaves created carpets all over the sidewalks in the cities. It was a Wednesday night, about three weeks after Lucy had moved out, she was over at the tower for training and she had stayed for dinner. Peter was staying over too but, unlike Lucy who couldn't spend nights away from school during the week, he was staying the night. She was in Peter's room, packing her training clothes, getting ready to leave when Wanda burst in.

"Sam just brought new footage from the last mission and they're allowing us in the conference room to watch it," she explained with glowing eyes.

"Hell, yeah," Peter yelled and jumped up from his bed and almost ran out the room.

After the initial rush of excitement, a dejected feeling settled in Lucy's chest. She slowly continued packing and got up.

"I've got to get back to school, I'm running too close to curfew already," she sighed.

Peter and Wanda threw each other a long look, hugged Lucy and wished her a good night before exiting and making their way towards the elevator all while talking excitedly between themselves. Lucy stayed behind in Peter's room, the feeling of abandonment growing within her once again and she shook her head as if that would help her get rid of it. Today wasn't the first time something like this happened since she moved out but she chose this situation herself, she was going to live with it and being independent at school was better than staying at the tower feeling like a little kid. Happy was waiting in the car downstairs already and he dropped her off at school with only a few minutes to spare. Lucy fell asleep that night, not plagued by nightmares but deeply dissatisfied with something – though she couldn't place her finger on what.

A few days later, Lucy had just finished her lab work and joined Wanda who was sitting on her bed, trying to finish some math homework. When the blonde girl entered the room, the young witch put away her paper and focused on her friend.

"You don't look too happy."

Lucy grimaced. "My calculations don't work out. Bruce is trying to help me but he's running short on time right now so everything is just being pushed to the future."

Wanda smiled sympathetically. "It's gonna be fine, you just need to be patient." 

"See, that's not really one of my strengths," Lucy sighed as she reached for a chocolate cookie.

Wanda watched her. "Are you staying for dinner?"

Lucy nodded. "But I gotta be back in school by ten."

The other girl seemed to want to say something but she hesitated. Lucy gave her an expectant look that finally caused the redhead to open her mouth.

"You have a curfew in school as well. How is that different to here? I mean you got loads of different rules there too, just like here at the tower."

Lucy's stomach turned. She had successfully repressed any negative feelings towards her leaving the tower during the past few weeks but Wanda's innocent question brought it all up again. Apparently, it hadn't been buried that deep.

"It is different…" Lucy started slowly, trying to gather her thoughts into a cohesive argument. Why did she feel like she had to justify her choices anyway?

"In school, I do have to be back by curfew but no one cares where I go or what I do. They give me my freedom."

Wanda gave her a long thoughtful look. "No one cares…" she murmured as if to herself.

Lucy heard her - and Wanda's comment stirred something inside that she'd managed to suppress for weeks. No one cared. She was lonely at school and the only time she felt happy during the past weeks was when she was at the tower or with Wanda in school. Lucy couldn't deny that being at the tower had helped her heal, just like Wanda promised, but leaving set her back – it was an indisputable fact. Her feelings towards her grandmother suddenly caught up with her as well. Peggy would be incredibly disappointed in her. It hurt to admit that but it was the truth. Lucy thought back to one of her conversations with Steve and how he'd said that Peggy would be proud of her for accepting whatever consequences she had coming and a pang of guilt hit her. The rules in the tower would be completely acceptable to her grandma because they were mostly about owning up to her actions but she basically just ran away from them. Peggy had also never liked the parties and the entire environment with her 'friends' from school much. Her stubbornness seemed to have hit a concrete wall and was finally shattering. Lucy knew Nat was reasonable and she wondered how her mentor had ever put up with any of her behavior. But she could answer that easily – Natasha would want her to admit herself that she'd been in the wrong. She almost groaned. Of course, the spy wouldn't make anything easy.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked carefully, almost scared to disturb Lucy in her thoughts.

Lucy yanked her head around. "Yeah, I'm good." She stocked. "I'll – uh – I have to go talk to Natasha." She slid of the bed while Wanda's eyes grew large.

"Are you moving back in?" Wanda asked shocked.

Lucy turned to her with a nervous grin. "If they let me." With that, she left the stunned young witch behind and made her way towards the elevator.

She'd hoped she would find Natasha on her own floor, but of course, nothing was made easy for her. She guessed she deserved it – karma and all.

Nat was on the common room floor setting the dinner table with Steve while Rhodey and Pepper were cooking dinner in the kitchen. When Lucy entered, they all turned their heads in surprise. The girl took a deep breath and managed to meet Nat's eyes as she spoke.

"Could I talk to you? Alone?" Her voice was calmer than she'd expected.

Nat took another long look into her eyes during which Lucy almost averted them but then nodded and walked to their own floor with her protégé. She sat at their kitchen table and Lucy lowered herself on the chair opposite to her mentor. Nat just looked at her expectantly and Lucy knew she had to start this conversation. Her stomach twisted again.

"I'm sorry," Lucy started. It was the first thing that came to her mind and it needed to be said. "I want to move out of school and back into the tower… if you'll let me."

Her mentor sighed and kept a stern gaze on the young girl who started to fidget. She knew she'd hurt Nat with her actions but she desperately wanted to make up for it.

Natasha stared at her protégé. She felt unbelievable happiness inside at Lucy's decision but she knew she needed to draw hard boundaries unless they wanted a repeat of this situation due to the girl's impulsiveness. She needed to make sure Lucy understood why she was coming back and what that meant in respect to the rules.

"You know that we need to stick with the choices that we make," Natasha began and Lucy's heart dropped as she heard her guardian. Tears started forming in her eyes, tears she had held back for weeks that now finally made their way towards the outside.

"I should've told you that weeks ago when you decided to move out but I think it's important for you to recognize why you want to move back in."

Lucy grew a little more hopeful as Nat continued on.

"If you want to move back just because it'll make it easier for you to hang out with Wanda and Peter and –"

"No!" Lucy interrupted her mentor who gave her a questioning look. "Sorry, I didn't wanna interrupt but it's not that – I mean I don't want to move back because of the others." Lucy took a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. "It's one of the things that made me realize that I do want to move back but – in reality… it's…" She closed her eyes briefly before continuing but unable to meet Natasha's eyes, she kept her own focused on her hands. "You care. That's why you have the rules in place and they aren't stupid they're normal and reasonable. I know that grandma would be disappointed if I didn't accept the consequences for my actions. I'm sorry that I disrespected you by completely going against your orders and I just want to come back." She managed to deliver her monologue without tears but her voice started to crack. "I miss our quality time, just watching movies and playing cards and-"

She didn't have to continue as the first errant tears made their way down her cheeks because Nat got up instantly and pulled Lucy into a tight hug, stroking her back and placing her head on top of the younger woman's. Lucy cried into her shoulder and couldn't believe how relieved she was. It was as if during the entire past few weeks she'd stood under constant stress and it now all started to fall off. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Natasha proudly smiled at Lucy.

"Of course, you can come back. And thank you, pticka."

Lucy gave her a grateful smile and was about to ask when Nat answered her question instantly.

"I'm gonna call Columbia right now and you'll move back in tomorrow."

Lucy grinned at her and her heart felt light and happy. She couldn't believe how much good it did to push past her pride and stubbornness and not let them interfere with her happiness anymore.

After Nat made the call, the two of them went down to dinner where the others slowly gathered. Wanda was already there and watched Lucy expectantly as she entered the room. Lucy gave her a smile and a nod and Wanda ran towards her and, shrieking, she hugged her, jumping up and down. Pepper raised an eyebrow at Nat and the spy nodded as well, causing the other woman to place an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her. The two girls detached and Steve turned his attention to Lucy.

"You're moving back in?" 

Lucy nodded enthusiastically and Steve also hugged her, smiling relived.

The other were just as ecstatic and when Sam and Clint entered the room, they stopped as they saw the commotion. Clint gave Lucy a questioning look who nodded and the archer crossed the room in a few strides to pick the younger bird up and swing her around. Dinner that night was a happy and loud affair and Wanda giggled that she couldn't wait to tell Peter about it and see his face.

###

The next evening, Lucy had moved everything back into her room on Natasha's floor. Coming back filled her with new spirit and she managed to move quicker than the last time. Dinner had been almost normal but the adults asked Lucy to stay back afterwards while Wanda and Peter, who spent the weekend with them, left but not without throwing her a worried glance. Lucy wasn't nervous but she was sure this conversation was about the rules or something related to them. She was proven right, but it wasn't as bad as Lucy expected. Not until the end.

"Alright, then we've cleared everything up," Nat concluded satisfied, nods following around the table. She fixed her stern look on Lucy who swallowed hard. "You're grounded for the next two weeks and we're gonna have a discussion in a moment so go to your room please."

Lucy's mouth dropped open. "What? Why?" The others seemed confused as well.

Natasha's strict glare cut off any more refusal. "You just agreed to follow the rules again and the discipline from weeks ago still stands. Consequences don't disappear just because you postpone them and try to run."

A hundred objections flew through Lucy's head but they were all squashed instantly by Nat's arguments. She was right and Lucy had just taken the firm resolution that she'd take responsibility for her actions and she wasn't going to argue with the first order she was given. Nat was reasonable and she should be glad that her sentence didn't get extended. Lucy met her mentor's eyes and nodded before exiting towards the elevator.

The other adults stared at Natasha in awe.

"I'm continuously impressed with your parenting skills," Steve sounded amazed. "Your strategy worked out perfectly. How did you get so good at this?"

Nat smiled and nodded in appreciation of the compliment but only shrugged in reply. "We're similar, like Lucy is similar to Clint. I understand her and I can see what would've worked with me. So far it's turning out well."

Tony clasp her shoulder in understanding as Nat sighed. "I better get going – I've got my bird's wings to clip after all."

Lucy was sitting on her bed as Natasha entered the room and she looked up at her guardian with worried but apologetic eyes. Nat smiled softly in response but Lucy could sense the sternness behind it.

"I don't think we need to talk about anything, we've pretty much covered it all," Nat addressed her.

Lucy shook her head in response.

Nat nodded. "Good. I also want to add that while you're obviously not trapped here, I don't want to have you move in and out with the changing wind. I expect you to stick to your decision and accept whatever consequences your actions might yield. Is that understood?"

Her words stirred something inside Lucy and she knew her behavior had been abhorrent but she forced herself to look into Natasha's strict eyes nevertheless.

"Yes, ma'am, that's clear," she answered in a firm voice.

Natasha nodded once more as she sat down on the bed and motion Lucy to come over.

"Unbutton your pants."

Lucy's stomach still turned at hearing the order although unfortunately she should almost be used to it by now. She complied and stepped closer to Nat who took her wrist and pulled her over her lap.

She didn't waste any time pulling down her pants and placed a stabilizing hand on Lucy's back before starting to deliver smacks to her bottom. The first few Lucy was able to take stoically but as soon as Natasha started the second round, she couldn't help squirming and huffing at each blow.

When her bottom had gotten an even red color, Natasha stopped and rubbed her back. Lucy knew what was coming.

"Why are we here?" Nat's voice was as stern as usual and Lucy didn't waste any time replying.

"Because I broke the rules by violating curfew and I – I disobeyed your direct order to stay in." Lucy closed her eyes as she finished and buried her head in her arms again to keep the tears back that threatened to spill.

"Spot on," Natasha agreed. "I don't expect you to be a perfect lamb but, as I hope you recognize now, the rules are reasonable and in place because we care. We can extend them but when I say no, that's final. Running away will never solve any of your problems. The only way to confront your actions is to face the music and I know that you're brave enough to do so, no matter what trouble you might've gotten yourself into. That's my expectation for you and I know that you can live up to it."

As she heard Nat's words, Lucy slumped a little more and wasn't able to keep the tears at bay anymore. Her mentor pulled down her panties now and started another round on her bare. Lucy slowly started sniffling and apologizing. Nat knew she was almost there so she tipped the girl forward to target her sit spots where she would feel the discipline for another few days. It didn't take long for Lucy to start sobbing and going limb over Nat's lap at which point the older woman stopped the spanking and started rubbing her back to calm the younger woman down. After the crying had become slower and quieter, Nat pulled up Lucy's clothes and straightened her before placing her in her lap and hugging her tight. Lucy threw her own arms around her mentor and hung onto Natasha's neck like a lifeboat. She kept crying into her shoulder while Natasha rubbed her back soothingly.

"Shhhh, it's all over, pticka," Nat told her softly.

Lucy's breath hitched here and there but she slowly calmed down and Nat was pleased to see that it happened faster every time they had to do this.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy pulled away slightly to look through her own clouded vision into Natasha's eyes. "I know that I shouldn't have run away from this and I promise I'll do better. I promise!" she emphasized.

Nat smiled and stroked her hair. "Thank you and I'm glad to hear that. As I said, I know you can do better and I have no reason to believe you won't."

Lucy sighed in relief and sunk back to Nat's chest and the two just sat in silence again, processing everything that had happened. After a few minutes, Nat spoke again.

"I meant to ask you, how have you been sleeping at school? Any nightmares?" she asked.

Lucy slumped a bit and pressed harder to her mentor's chest to hear her heartbeat. "I didn't sleep much – I had a few nightmares."

Nat sighed and tightened her grip around the younger woman. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she felt so safe.

"I say you're getting an early night tonight," Natasha started and Lucy nodded into her chest. "And we'll make sure that you get a good night's sleep too."

When the two got up, Lucy went straight to her bathroom and then to bed and under the covers. Nat sat herself on the side of the bed and reached to stroke her back while she told Lucy a story about a mission she'd been on, years ago. After Lucy had quieted down and was slowly drifting off, Nat hummed a Russian lullaby and Lucy sank into the deepest and most rested sleep she'd gotten in weeks.


	5. Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

Lucy liked the drives to the Avengers base. It wasn't too long, only about an hour, and upstate New York was idyllic, beautiful and peaceful. She loved the state – until today that was. She never realized how big it was but finding out that the drive to Syracuse was over four hours was like a punch in the gut.

"That can't be happening," Wanda said, sounding just as shocked as Lucy felt.

Peter nodded mutely, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He didn't seem to be able to get any words out, so Lucy just shifted closer to him, leaning her shoulder against his and trying to provide as much comfort as she could. The trio was huddled on Lucy's bed, almost in a defensive formation, after Peter told them the worst news they could've possibly expected.

"Next week already?" Lucy couldn't believe it – she didn't want it to be true. It couldn't be real.

Peter nodded without looking up. "She has to start on the first of November."

May was being transferred upstate, to Syracuse, and Peter had to move. The shock this news brought to the girls was indescribable and Lucy had never thought in her life that these people had grown so close to her heart already. May stayed downstairs with the adults, while Peter had run upstairs, vision already clouded and not even gracing Tony with a look.

The kids didn't know what the adults were talking about downstairs – the three were busy picturing the worst. Peter wouldn't be able to come by the tower for lab work or training, he'd live four hours away and at most he'd be able to come to the base a weekend a month. Things kept getting darker and darker, the more Lucy was thinking about it, but none of the teens could think of a solution so they just sat in silence, comforting each other.

Suddenly, J.A.R.V.I.S. startled them.

"Mr. Stark asks the three of you to come downstairs. He'd like to talk to you."

The kids gave each other dejected looks, knowing that the inevitable was upon them and May would help Peter pack the things he'd left at the tower. Nevertheless, they scrambled to their feet and made their way to the elevator.

The picture awaiting them was not what they expected. Not only Tony and May were seated at the dining room table, coffee cups in front of them, but also Pepper, Natasha and Steve. Their expressions weren't as foreboding as the kids had thought and their confusion only grew.

Tony waved at the trio. "Have a seat. We've got something to talk about."

"You don't say," Peter murmured unhappily and let himself plump down onto the chair opposite May. Wanda and Lucy sat next to him, ready to give emotional support when needed.

May sighed heavily. "I know you're not happy with the situation, Peter, and believe me, neither am I."

She looked towards Tony who nodded and continued. "We think we've found a solution but it's completely your call."

Peter's head jerked up and so did Lucy and Wanda. Solution wasn't a word that would've entered Lucy's vocabulary at this point.

May smiled. "I know how important Spiderman is to you and you know that I support you. I'm very proud of what you do. Your education is another problem." She sighed. "Syracuse isn't gonna be as good as New York in terms of school, not in a million years."

Her serious gaze focused on her nephew. "Tony, the others and I weighed every possible solution and what we came up with is the best possible idea. If you agree, it's a done deal."

Tony smiled and took over again. "If you want to, you can move here into the tower, go to school in the city and keep training and working with us."

Peter's mouth fell open and Wanda and Lucy's eyes grew large.

"Are you serious?" The spider's incredulous look wandered from Tony to his aunt and back.

May smiled. "Yes. It's not easy leaving you behind but I know that I'd leave you in the best possible care and I'll be visiting as often as possible."

Peter suddenly got serious and reached over the table to take May's hand. "Are you sure? I really don't want to leave you alone and –"

"Don't be ridiculous," May chided him softly. "You're here at the tower so often, now that I had to work so many night shifts and you cannot stop your lab work and training. I want you to succeed."

Tears welled in Peter's eyes again and Lucy once more couldn't believe how great May was.

"School's another thing actually," Tony continued while May nodded enthusiastically. "We've been talking a lot and, again, this is your call, we think it'd be best for you to transfer to Columbia Prep with the girls. Midtown just isn't giving you the space you need – you're too gifted."

Now Peter's mouth stood open again and Lucy and Wanda held their breaths, waiting for his response. A smile slowly spread on his face.

"Yes! Of course!" he all but yelled and the girls fell over him, not so much emotional support but ecstatic happiness now.

The adults smiled and Pepper stroked May's shoulder as the other woman gave Peter a warm smile.

"I'm glad you agree, Peter," she reached to take his hand again. "This is the most sensible decision you've made so far I think."

Tony nodded. "I can subscribe to that." He cleared his throat. "You might be wondering that the status is gonna be." A sigh was his only reaction to the confused look he got in response.

May grinned. "Tony is going to become your guardian legally, basically like Natasha is to Lucy. You can live with him, he can sign things etc. Just to make this easier."

Lucy gave Nat a look and raised her eyebrows. Her mentor just smiled and nodded slightly. Lucy huffed – so this was how her status was. She had no idea of all the legal stuff behind the scenes but she was sure Tony was pulling the strings with his influence.

A call from the kitchen disturbed the happy scene and Clint walked out, a slightly sheepish look on his face. Nat immediately gave him a disbelieving look and cocked her head.

"Please tell me you didn't mess this up."

Clint just grinned apologetically, keeping a safe distance from the spy. "What would you guys like to order? I vote pizza."

Lucy tried to overplay her laughter but couldn't keep it in anymore and burst out laughing at the same time as Wanda and Peter and not even the adults could keep it in anymore. The whole table erupted while Nat just shook her head.

"You had one job, Clint! It was a simple lasagna, you only had to take it out the oven in time." The exasperation was clear in her voice and Lucy looked at Clint, gloating, who caught her expression.

"Oh, yeah, keep laughing! You're just happy, you're not the one her anger is directed at this time," he complained, only resulting in Lucy raising her hands and bursting into more laughter.

By the time the pizzas arrived, everyone had calmed down and Lucy, Wanda and Peter started planning their amazing time living together. Their mentors interrupted them occasionally, reminding them that the handbook would now without reservations also apply to Peter, but generally letting the kids have their fun. May talked over the logistics with Tony and they agreed that Peter would move in the coming weekend, so that he was all settled when May moved upstate. Tony also insisted on helping her with the move to Syracuse against her stark objections.

When May and Peter left, she thanked Tony and the others profusely, but all of them waved her thanks away. Peter and May had both already become part of the family – they'd do anything for them. Lucy smiled softly. She experienced this safety net herself enough times by now but she still had a hard time believing it was all real.

###

Lucy was bored. In the morning, Wanda had gone upstate with Peter, May, Tony and Steve to help May settle in her new place in Syracuse. She'd been determined to support them as well but her conversation with Nat earlier in the morning hadn't exactly gone over well.

"_You are not going upstate, Lucy. You are still grounded," Nat said with finality._

_Lucy groaned. "But my grounding is over the day after tomorrow! Can't I just help today and we'll add another day after tomorrow?"_

_Nat shook her head. "No. Simple as that. Grounding is a punishment and there's no discussion about it. Otherwise it wouldn't be discipline."_

_The girl almost let out a whine. "Please, Natasha! Just this once!"_

_She was about to continue when she caught Nat's glance. She had her eyebrows raised and looked at her with the look Lucy dreaded. It basically said, 'one more word and you will regret it'. Lucy swallowed under the stern glance and bit her lip._

"_Sorry, I get it," she sighed._

_Nat's expression softened and she took her arm. "I know it sucks but that's a part of it. There's gonna be more opportunities to help someone move."_

"_Provided I'm not grounded then," Lucy murmured but Nat still heard her. _

"_Well, you know what to do to avoid that." She smiled softly. "Let's go downstairs and say goodbye to May. We're not gonna see her for a few weeks now."_

After a tearful goodbye with promises from May that she'd come and visit New York for Thanksgiving, the five of them left, driven by Happy and Lucy was left home alone. Well, not completely, but most of the others wouldn't be home until the evening.

Peter had moved his stuff the previous weekend and was pretty much settled. Not much had changed, he'd spent usually at least two nights a week at the tower before anyway so until now it just seemed like a regular week. Things would become different, Lucy was sure, but it was pretty cool having all three of them together all the time. Peter had also started Columbia pretty much immediately after they had the talk about a week ago which had Lucy convinced that they were planning his school transition for some time but moved ahead now that it was convenient. Lucy wouldn't complain. It was great having another friend go to school with her and Peter seemed to get along with the Upper East Side crowd about as well as Wanda – meaning not at all. It wasn't surprising to Lucy though. The way things were done was very 'Gossip Girl' and it was hard for outsiders to get used to it. Lucy had gotten to the resigned stage where she'd cultivate these acquaintances the way she was taught – not friends but civil, they'd all be business partner and socialites in the near future. Peter and Wanda didn't grow up in this world and both Sokovia and Queens were probably about the same level of removed from it. She had friends now and even lived with them – in all honesty, her life had gotten to a stage of general satisfaction and happiness that she wasn't used to.

Today, those feelings weren't as prevalent though. With a sigh, she wandered down to the common floor to hopefully find Bruce or one of the others to get into the lab or do some training. She was completely unsuccessful. Nat had told her that she'd go to the base with Sam because Fury had scheduled a meeting and according to his office door, Bruce had gone with them. Clint was nowhere to be found and Rhodey was at a meeting at the USAF Department at Federal Plaza. For the first time, Lucy experienced the tower completely empty. She decided some exercise was always helpful so she changed into her workout clothes and went to the gym. The advantages of being completely on her own was that she could play her music as loud as she wanted and time flew by.

After about three hours, Lucy went upstairs again to grab some late lunch. She had just taken her mashed potatoes out the microwave and sat at the table when a flash of light on the balcony distracted her. She left the food behind and went outside. The late October air was quite chilly, especially in only her workout clothes. She was startled by a tall, blond man cocking his head at her as she stepped on the patio. Lucy grinned. Maybe today wouldn't be as boring as originally thought.

"Tell me, young lady, where is Tony Stark?"

Lucy couldn't hide her glee. "He's not in, I'm afraid – neither is anyone else. I'm the only one home."

The man's features took on surprise. "This is your home too? What is your name then?"

"I'm Lucy Rutherford. Pleased to meet you." Lucy extended her hand.

The man gripped it enthusiastically and shook it, maybe slightly too hard. "Very happy to make your acquaintance. I'm Thor."

Lucy grinned. "Yeah, I figured. The hammer was kind of a dead giveaway."

Thor looked down to the metal in his hand. "Oh right, Mjolnir is well-known in all nine realms." He directed his curious face to her again. "So, you live here now? I guess much has happened since I last visited."

Lucy nodded. "Why don't you come in? I'll get you some pop tarts and update you on everything."

Thor's eyes started to glimmer. "I would appreciate the pop tarts, Lucy. And the news too," he added quickly as she looked at him bemusedly.

The two of them sat down on the couches, Lucy deciding that she might as well use the opportunity to have pop tarts as her lunch. They beat mashed potatoes any day.

"So, you promised me news," Thor started, eager to get in the know again.

Lucy nodded and started. "So, a few months, almost a year ago, Tony and Steve had a little civil war and the Avengers broke up for a bit over the so-called Accords. The government wanted to control the Avengers because of what happened with Ultron in Sokovia." Thor nodded understandingly and Lucy continued. "Steve didn't wanna sign because of some issues so he left, together with Wanda, Sam and Clint. Bruce kept out of it. Tony managed to work it all out though through the reformed Shield and they came back early in the summer and ever since then they've lived here." Thor nodded once more and Lucy was happy that he seemed to take everything in. "You don't know him yet, but there's a Spiderman now, his name is Peter. He got bitten by a radioactive spider and he's really smart, so he made himself this little suit and started fighting crime in Queens. Tony recruited him onto his team and improved his suit etc. He's now training with us and he actually moved in the other day cause his aunt moved away but he wants to keep being a part of the Avengers." Lucy watched Thor's expression and after a minute he nodded in understanding. "Then that leaves me." She smiled wryly. "I've known Tony for some time, my parents also own a technology company. My grandma is Peggy Carter, one of the founders of Shield, so I've known Nat, Clint and Coulson ever since I could walk." At Thor's expression she quickly added, "oh yeah, Coulson is alive by the way." She grinned as Thor's eyes grew large. "I'm pretty smart myself and I built a suit as well before Steve visited me in July and they asked me to become a part of the Avengers. I moved in here a few weeks later with Nat as my mentor and I've been training and working here as well ever since." She paused to think. "That's pretty much it."

Thor nodded mutely. That was probably a lot of information to take in. An entire box of pop tarts was empty already.

He considered her carefully. "Thank you very much for the information. It seems a lot has transpired since I left the last time but I'm glad everyone is settled here now. Do tell me, where is everyone today?"

"Well, Peter's aunt moved to Syracuse today and Wanda, Steve, Tony and Peter went there to help and they won't be back until tomorrow," she started. "Nat, Bruce and Sam are meeting with Fury at the base upstate." At Thor's confused look she explained further. "We mostly just live at the tower and the official Shield and Avengers business is done upstate, about an hour from here. Rhodey is doing some air force stuff and I have no idea where Clint is."

Thor smiled. "Everything like usual then. He's probably hiding in the vents."

Lucy giggled. "Do you want anything to drink? I don't think we got any Asgardian mead but maybe a beer or some chocolate milk?"

"That milk sounds tempting," Thor agreed and Lucy went to the kitchen to get it.

She considered Thor with curious eyes. "How come you're back now? You've been gone over a year."

Thor looked at her. "Is that a long or short time? I keep forgetting."

"It's a long time to be away from the people who like – or your family. Not that I know anything about that," Lucy added, slightly bitter.

Thor looked at her empathetically and his eyes invited her to explain. Lucy sighed but from the hour she'd spent with the god, she knew she could trust him.

She took a deep breath. "My parents aren't great people. They don't talk to me at all, they aren't interested in my life, they don't care at all, only that I take over Rutherford Industries. My grandma was the only person that cared, apart from my nanny Zora, but she died in the beginning of this year and it's pretty hard." She sighed and Thor placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I know the pain of having a family member die, Lucy. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Lucy gave him a small smile. "Thank you. It's getting better, ever since I moved in here. Nat cares about me and she's the best mentor I could wish for."

Thor smiled. "I can imagine she is training you very well. She's one of the fiercest and bravest warriors I know and I don't doubt that you will become just as accomplished as she is."

Lucy nodded before looking Mjolnir from the corner of her eyes. Thor noticed her interest and moved the hammer in front of the girl.

"You are interested in Mjolnir?"

She took a breath and looked up at the god. "Could I try to lift it? Just for fun?"

Thor smiled. "Of course, you have shown me such great hospitality. Anything you want."

Lucy stood up and eyed the metal. She knew physics wouldn't kick in, this was some Asgardian magic working here so she really had nothing to lose. No one except Thor was worthy so far.

"I bet my grandma could've lifted Mjolnir," Lucy sighed.

Suddenly recognition dawned in Thor's eyes. "Wait - is this the same Peggy that the Captain always refers to?"

Lucy jerked her head around and nodded.

Thor smiled. "I have no doubt that she indeed would've been able to."

Her hand extended and Lucy clasp the leather handle of the hammer. It was old and new at the same time and she had the feeling it knew everything of the past and future. It felt good, in a weird way. She pulled on the handle, expecting to meet resistance and not being able to move the metal at all. Lucy almost let go in shock when the hammer suddenly lifted from the table and she held it in her hand.

Thor was amazingly unfazed on the outside, though his eyes widened somewhat.

"You're worthy," he boomed as Lucy turned to look at him, disbelief in her eyes.

"What is going on here?" Natasha's voice suddenly filled the room and both Thor and Lucy turned to face her, Sam, Bruce and Clint who had just entered.

"Is that…" Clint trailed off, his gaze fixed on the hammer in Lucy's hand.

The girl's mouth fell open and quickly put the hammer down as if it burned her skin.

Natasha looked more shocked that Lucy had ever seen her but her and the others greeted Thor enthusiastically, before turning to the girl again.

"Did she just lift your hammer?" Natasha asked incredulously and Thor nodded in response.

Nat's eyes turned to Lucy in disbelief who responded in mock indignation. "Are you implying you didn't think I was worthy?"

Her mentor grinned and pulled her into a hug.

Clint just shook his head. "I can't believe she's worthy but I'm not."

Bruce huffed. "That's exactly the reason why you're not worthy."

"How long are you staying?" Natasha asked the god who'd just been smiling during the banter.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet, I just had the urge to see some familiar faces. Also, apparently over a year is too long a time to not visit your family." He smiled at Lucy who returned it.

Bruce grinned happily. "Well, your floor is untouched, just waiting for you to return." With a glance to the coffee table he continued. "Apparently asking if you need dinner is unnecessary."

"That's never unnecessary," Thor boomed. "I'm quite hungry, I could use a good meal."

Lucy pressed her lips together in order to not burst out laughing.

Nat looked highly amused as well. "Let's disappear into the kitchen and start on dinner then," she addressed Lucy while the others disappeared to Thor's floor.

Dinner was great and Lucy was greatly amused by Thor, his stories and his banter with the others. While he said he wouldn't stay permanently, he agreed to be at the tower until the others returned.

###

Peter was mesmerized by the god, Wanda welcomed him back happily, and Steve and Tony were amazed at Lucy lifting the hammer. She didn't think it was that big a deal, she wouldn't use it and she was sure the only reason she was able to lift it was because of her grandma's blood in her veins. Steve must've realized it too – he'd given her a strange, long look.

Thor left after having spent a few days with them, with the solemn promise to return soon. Tony had also tweaked a communications device that would allow Thor to contact them from most places in the nine realms and vice versa. The short visit had been a fun little interlude and even helped Peter settle in the tower completely. Thor trained with the kids and was impressed by their skills, leaving the trainers in turn very satisfied and proud. Lucy was simply happy. Everything had come together perfectly, Peter now lived at the tower and went to school with her and Wanda – a real family.


	6. A Witch's Hunt

A Witch's Hunt

The air was freezing cold and the slowly starting New York winter didn't care that everyone had to sit outside for hours during the Veterans Day celebrations. Lucy watched her breath leave her system in white clouds – anything to concentrate on to forget the cold. She had always preferred Memorial Day. Late May was a much nicer time to sit outside and watch for the parade. Wanda was fidgeting next to her and Lucy could hear Peter two seats down blowing into his fists. At last, the parade appeared around the corner into Ground Zero and came to stand while the US Army Band played on, _The Flag Still Flies High_.

The Avengers were always invited to Veterans Day when they weren't on a mission and this year the kids accompanied them. Steve sat in the beginning of the row, with Sam right next to him. Rhodey was up by the podium next to other higher personnel of the Air Force that was in NYC currently. The three of them were all wearing their dress uniforms while everyone else in their team was still dressed in smarter clothes than usual. As the mayor stepped up to the podium to _The_ _First Call_ and asked everyone to stand for the anthem, Lucy was glad to move her legs finally. Officials hoisted the flag to the sound of the people singing and when the melody finished, the audience kept standing and joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. _The Last Post_ sounded and everyone fell silent before being called out of reflection by the _Reveille_.

As Lucy sat down again and started listening to the mayor, she watched the flag waving high up on the pole in the cold wind. The skies were clear and bright but the impending winter was almost threateningly looming in the icy air and the hard ground. Lucy concentrated back on the mayor and his words about loyalty and sacrifice and felt Wanda next to her stiffen. She reached and took the other girl's hand which was also freezing.

After the mayor had finished, Lucy watched Rhodey, along with the others up front, stand and salute as the Chief of the USAF stepped up to the podium to _Hail to the Chief_ and began to deliver his speech. He talked about the army values, duty, courage and honor and commitment to your country. Lucy liked him; he reminded her of Natasha with his firm, no-nonsense way of speaking and the things he said. As if she could read her thoughts – the possibility of which Lucy wasn't discounting at this point – Natasha put a reassuring hand on Lucy's shoulder who leaned her head on it.

A few songs and speeches later, the celebration was officially over but various Generals, Colonels and politicians had to greet and talk to Steve, Rhodey and the others. While the adults were busy being polite, Wanda pulled Lucy by her arm and quietly led her into the shadow of the museum.

Lucy was alarmed by Wanda's serious eyes but patiently waited for the other girl to speak.

"I overheard something the other day," Wanda started and Lucy's suspicion grew.

The witch continued in a low voice. "They were talking about a lead. They have a lead about what happened to my parents, Lucy!" She only got a little louder but the excitement was noticeable.

Lucy still didn't know what Wanda's endgame was so she just gave her a questioning look.

Wanda sighed. "I can't outright ask them, they'll know that I've eavesdropped but I need to know what they know."

Now Lucy had a faint idea of where this was going but she didn't think it was a good direction. "If they decide not to let you know then there's a reason. Just wait until they tell you."

"Would you?" Wanda's question came out of nowhere and Lucy stopped to seriously think about it.

Eventually she had to resign and shake her head. Wanda nodded satisfied.

"Can you help me? You can hack into the Shield system and access whatever files they have."

Lucy sighed. She knew it wasn't right to do but her longing to help Wanda overcame any hesitation. Also, she hadn't hacked in a while and she really wanted to have some fun again.

Locking eyes with Wanda, she nodded. "I'll do it. But don't use that information to do something stupid, ok?" Lucy wondered when she'd become the voice of reason. It must've something to do with Nat's parenting style – felt odd but good.

Wanda gave her a grateful smile and a quick, discreet hug before the girls joined the others again. With an unspoken agreement, they decided not to involve Peter – he had enough to deal with; moving into the tower, starting Columbia Prep - it was hard. No one had realized the girls' quick leave; the adults were still caught up in conversations though they seemed to be coming to an end. Lucy was glad. November was ruthless and Ground Zero was surrounded by urban canyons so it kept getting colder and colder very quickly. She stepped close to Natasha who put and arm around her and rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to warm her a little.

###

"Just calm down," Lucy chided Wanda. "I've gotta concentrate."

Her fingers ran over the keyboard and she already passed the first secure Shield server but since Wanda had overheard the Avengers, it seemed to be an elite problem, so the information was probably buried further down. The special Avengers server presented a greater problem to Lucy and she frowned as she tried to work her magic and break through the firewall.

Wanda couldn't sit still while she was watching her friend work. Her hands kept twitching and she was rocking back on forth slightly in her chair. Lucy gave her another annoyed look that had her calm a little but only for a few minutes.

Lucy kept assaulting the keyboard and she finally broke through the firewall and after that it didn't take long for her to enter the separate Avengers server.

"There we go," she murmured and Wanda's breath hitched in anticipation. Lucy sighed once more. After a little more digging she found the right file and got the documents on her laptop securely before quickly leaving the system again and erasing any traces of her ever being on it.

Lucy looked at Wanda expectantly. "You ready to have a look?"

The witch only nodded mutely and had her gaze focused on the folder on the laptop. Lucy opened the first document that was a map and kept going until she came across a text document. The girls' eyes skimmed over it and Lucy let out a breath of air. She hadn't expected that. The message was entirely in Russian.

Wanda's eyes grew large. "They got a lead in Pittsburgh! Why won't they do anything about it?"

Lucy huffed. "A mission needs planning, you know that. Also, from what it says here, it seems there are other Sokovians hiding out there." She pondered the text again. "It would explain why it's all written in Russian."

"But that only means we gotta act quickly." Wanda skimmed the document again, trying to find extra clues. "Before they move on."

"_We_ aren't gonna do anything," Lucy reminded her sternly. God, she sounded like Nat. "You have your information, you know what's going on, now be content with the knowledge and don't tell anyone." She looked at the witch insistently. "I don't need any trouble with Nat so you can't fess up or do anything stupid, understood?"

Wanda nodded mutely in response and Lucy gave her the memory stick with the recovered information on it. After that, she reactivated J.A.R.V.I.S. for the room again – just to be sure, she'd disconnected him for the time they spent on the Shield server.

Lucy threw her friend a pondering look. "You okay?"

Wanda jerked her head and nodded. "Yeah, yeah… just – I can't believe we've actually got this."

Lucy smiled. "I'm glad. Though we should probably get downstairs for dinner or they'll wonder what we were doing."

###

The next day started completely normal but the tower family barely got to breakfast without trouble. It was a Saturday and usually all residents came together for brunch. When Lucy got downstairs, it was only Tony, Pepper and Bruce that were preparing the food but slowly, the rest also gathered - everyone but Wanda. When Steve got to the dining room, he looked around to spot the redhead but he was unsuccessful.

"Do you guys know where Wanda is? I knocked on her door and she didn't answer so I thought she was here already," Steve addressed the teens.

Lucy threw Peter a confused look. "I haven't seen her yet."

Peter also shook his head. "Neither have I."

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "We'll just start eating then, she'll turn up eventually."

Wanda didn't turn up. Brunch went by and like every week, it lasted quite long but even after a whole hour had passed, the witch still didn't show.

Steve definitely grew worried and Lucy racked her head as to where her friend could be but she was at a loss and so was Peter. When brunch finished and everyone got up to leave and go about their day, Nat, Steve and Lucy stayed back, determined to find out where Wanda was. Peter wanted to be there too but Tony reminded him that they had a meeting at Columbia to talk about his first few weeks there. Pepper followed them, not without placing a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder and reassuring him that they'd find Wanda.

Cap got up and had another look in Wanda's room to see if she had returned while Lucy and Nat stayed at the table and talked about the training they planned for today. Soon, the door swung open again and concern was now clearly written on Steve's face and he seemed much more outraged.

"She took a bag with clothes and her passport is gone," he said wrought-up and Natasha's head jerked up in alarm.

"Are you saying she's run away?" Natasha sounded almost shocked which was highly untypical for her.

Meanwhile Lucy felt like someone just punched her in the gut and the world started spinning around her. She had a pretty good idea where Wanda had gone and she had no other choice but to fess up and tell Steve and Nat what she'd done. She wasn't looking forward to it but she remembered the chief's speech - courage and honor. Courage and honor, she kept repeating in her mind when she looked up at the adults and swallowed hard.

"I need to tell you something," she said in a soft voice but her throat dried up instantly when she saw Steve and Nat's faces.

Concern was clearly written on them and Nat seemed to suspect something as her eyes took on a stern glance.

Lucy took a deep breath but she didn't manage to hold Natasha's gaze so she just looked at her hands as she confessed.

"Wanda told me after the parade yesterday that she's overheard you talking about a lead on her parents and she really wanted to know what was going on." Lucy sighed and forced herself to look up into Nat's narrowed eyes.

"I wanted to help her, I thought she'd feel better if she knew, so I hacked into the system and accessed the server and the documents." She bit her lip as Nat carefully shielded her expression, not revealing the disappointment that must've been lurking behind. Steve's gaze she avoided completely.

"I know it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it but we managed to find some documents in Russian that located the lead in Pittsburgh. She promised me she wouldn't do anything stupid, she swore she only wanted to know," Lucy almost pleaded Nat to believe. "I wouldn't have helped her if I'd known she'd go off on her own, I promise! I'm so, so sorry."

Lucy's breathing hitched as she waited for the inevitable thunder. When no one said anything, she carefully looked up but neither Nat nor Steve looked angry. There was still concern on Steve's face but he looked slightly relieved and Nat still wore her composed mask.

Suddenly, Nat smiled softly. "Thank you, pticka." She turned to Steve. "I guess we can make a move and try and catch her then? She's had enough of a head start."

Lucy's eyes wandered from Nat to Steve and back again. "Aren't you… angry?" she asked softly.

Nat focused a serious gaze on her. "You know that hacking into the system was wrong but I understand you were trying to help Wanda feel better. You also admitted it straightway when you realized that she was gone."

Lucy looked up in surprise. Steve nodded in support of Natasha's words. She looked at her mentor, stunned. "No punishment?"

Nat shook her head. "No punishment. You made the right call." She smiled at her protégé. "I'm proud of you."

Her heart suddenly felt very light and as Lucy's eyes darted to Steve, he also gave her a smile. "As am I."

He turned to Nat. "I guess we need to get our witch back then? Before someone gets to her and something dangerous happens."

The spy nodded in support and Lucy jerked up. "Can I come with?" The two adults looked at her and Lucy continued quickly. "Please let me help. It's my fault that she's gone so I need to make sure nothing bad happens."

"It's not your fault, Lucy. This was Wanda's decision, not yours," Steve responded, without missing a beat. He threw Nat a long look and they seemed to come to an understanding.

Natasha turned to Lucy. "You can come with us. This isn't an official mission, so our normal rules apply, but it might be bumped up to one if we're moving against these people, so Cap becomes your C.O. You'll listen to anything he or I say instantly and if we order you to stay back, you will. Understood?"

Lucy held her gaze and nodded. "Understood."

"Good. Show us that you can continue with the maturity you've just shown," Nat said and the pride in her voice was distinctly recognizable.

"Alright," Steve clasp his hands. "I know that Clint is off-duty today as well, so he'll come with us, just in case. I'll let him know and we'll meet in the conference room in half an hour. Gear up and be ready to leave."

Lucy and Nat got up, making their way towards their own floor immediately. She shouldn't be happy that Wanda had broken the rules and was possibly on the way to danger, but Lucy couldn't help an excited feeling in her stomach. She'd never been on a mission with the Avengers and even though this wasn't a real one, it was almost like a trial run.

She got dressed quickly and everything she'd learned outside of training paid off now. All the memorization of field manuals, packing instructions and so on were suddenly worth it and within fifteen minutes she was outside her door again. Natasha had obviously been faster and she quickly inspected Lucy before nodding in approval and both made their way to the conference room.

Steve had informed Tony who was concerned but Steve convinced him that they had everything under control and he could calmly continue talks with Columbia. The billionaire conceded but had Steve promise him that Cap would call as soon as they needed any help.

Clint strolled into the conference room, packed bag over his shoulder. "So we're retrieving the witch?"

Steve nodded. "Lucy had some intel and we're pretty sure she's on her way to Baltimore. The two got their hands on the Russian documents we've looked at last week and we're thinking that Wanda is following up on it."

Clint nodded. "You informed Fury?"

"Yes, and he agreed to keep it under wraps. We're gonna have to file a report if we move against them though. I also had a look at the bus timetables to Pittsburgh. I checked in on her around midnight and I was up pretty early so she must've left during the night. Our best bet is on the 2:45 bus, so she's arrived in Pittsburgh…" he threw a glance at his watch, "…right about now. 11:30."

He looked up and glanced at his team who all nodded in understanding.

Steve continued. "Happy is driving us down to LaGuardia and we're taking the Quinjet to the Pittsburgh airfield immediately. The faster we retrieve Wanda, the better."

Lucy could feel the excitement in her stomach again. Clint seemed to have noticed her feelings and put a collegial arm around her.

"Your first little mission, birdy! Excited?"

"Hell yeah!" Lucy tried to suppress her smile but couldn't help glowing up. "I really hope nothing is gonna happen to Wanda though."

Clint nodded. "Everything is gonna be okay. We'll get her back."

"And make sure she never pulls a stunt like this again," Steve added darkly. Lucy swallowed hard. He was still concerned but now that they had a plan, he was becoming angry as well. She really didn't want to be in Wanda's place right now. Steve barely got actually angry, mostly disappointed, but when he did, they were in big trouble.

Happy took them to LaGuardia in record time and the jet was already ready and took off as soon as they had boarded. Even though the flight barely took an hour it seemed much longer to Lucy. The excitement had mixed with concern over Wanda and nervousness at her first real mission but Nat seemed to pick up on the waves of emotion she was sending off. The spy sat opposite her and the two went through the protocols again, the routine calming Lucy down.

After getting to Pittsburgh, the team made their way to the hotel where the documents had mentioned a conversion place of the targets. It also made sense for Wanda to land at the hotel first, since she was obviously intending to stay in Pittsburgh for a few days. Their intuition had been right. Upon entering the hotel – presenting the picture of a perfect family – Natasha immediately spotted Wanda towards the elevators who was keeping an eye on the lobby. She was blending in with her surroundings pretty well but she was no match for the spy. While Clint organized a room to stash their equipment, Nat slightly nudged Steve but the witch had noticed them now too and only stared back in shock. In a few strides, Steve had crossed the lobby and pulled Wanda up with an extremely relieved expression on his face. Lucy watched him softly say something to her and hug her tight before gripping her arm – he wasn't taking any chances now – just as Clint turned around and clanked the keys.

"We've got the family suite. Third floor."

The three made their way over to join Steve and Wanda at the elevators but the girl kept her head down and refused to look up at anyone. Nat and Clint ignored it and the team made their way up to the suite.

It was big; three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area. Steve led Wanda to the sofas and pushed her down to sit as everyone else also took a seat.

He eyed her with a stern glance that she still didn't meet. Lucy bit her lip and tried to hide between Clint and Nat to experience as little of this as possible.

"What were you thinking?" Steve asked his protégé, unable to contain the outrage in his voice anymore.

Wanda flinched and forced herself to lift her head. Lucy could practically feel how much courage it took to look up when your mentor was already this upset.

"I'm sorry," she started in a soft voice. At Steve's unrelenting eyes, she continued. "I just wanted to see if I could follow up on that lead." She sighed. "I need to know what happened."

Steve gave her a stern look. "I understand that but this was not the way to go about it. You gave us all the shock of our lives and it was only because Lucy told us about your exploits in getting that information that we were able to find you this quickly before someone else did."

Wanda's surprised eyes flickered to Lucy who just stared back in shock.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I had to tell them," she responded softly at the other girl's expression.

"Don't apologize, Lucy," Steve immediately turned to her. "You did the right thing. God knows what could have happened if you hadn't told us and we were too late."

Wanda sunk her head again.

"We're not going to continue this conversation here. We're getting back to the airfield and going home." Steve was ready to get up again as Wanda's head jerked up.

"But I found more information!" She sounded so eager that Steve focused his gaze on her and invited her to continue.

"I spent some time down in that lobby and I recognized some of the individuals identified in those documents. They're using an old warehouse as an operational base." She stocked. "It's a remaining Hydra cell."

Steve's head flew back to Nat and Clint and there was a silent understanding between the three of them. He got up and started pacing, rubbing his temples in agony.

"We need to contact Fury and update him on this. Our intel didn't refer to any Hydra hideout." Natasha looked up at the Captain who nodded in response.

"We're going in now," he decided. "They might be starting to suspect something – I doubt they're letting anything in this city go unnoticed."

Clint nodded in agreement and got on the phone to Fury while Nat and Lucy unpacked the equipment. Steve kept talking quietly to Wanda and Lucy tried to close her ears to it. It was never great being privy to a lecture – maybe even worse than being lectured herself.

"Fury gave his authorization and it's bumped up to official mission now. It's Cap, Nat, Lucy, myself, and Rhodey is meeting us at the warehouse." With this news, Clint walked back into the room.

Lucy jerked her head at Nat in both excitement and nervousness. Her mentor gave her a long, urgent look.

"You remember what I said this morning?"

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Cap's my C.O., I obey his orders immediately and if anyone orders me to stay back, I'll do so."

Natasha smiled proudly. "That's my girl. It's not a difficult mission but remember your training, physically and strategically, and everything will go smoothly."

"Lucy's going on this mission?" Wanda looked from Lucy to Steve in indignation. "Then I'm going too!"

Steve shook his head firmly. "No, you are not. Lucy is coming because we think she's ready and she showed maturity in helping us find you. You on the other hand ran away in the middle of the night without telling anyone and I think it's safe to tell you that you're grounded. So, while I wouldn't have taken you anyway, I'm also not going to because you are being disciplined."

Lucy swallowed hard at how agitated Steve had gotten by the end. He really had been incredibly worried about Wanda. The girl seemed about to argue but a look into Steve's eyes stopped her immediately. He seemed ready to discipline her right there in the room if she kept pushing him and there was no way she'd go there – it was far too embarrassing. So she kept quiet and Steve seemed satisfied.

"You will keep the windows closed and curtains pulled and the door locked from the inside. If you leave this suite even for a second, you will regret it. And I can guarantee you, you don't want to be in any more trouble at this point." Steve eyed Wanda who gave a dejected nod in response.

Satisfied the girl would comply, he turned to the rest of the team with a determined expression. "Suit up, we're leaving in ten minutes."

###

Lucy quietly walked around the corner of the building. Natasha was right next to her and together they slid along the building, backs pressed against the wall. The team had the building circled and they were waiting for Cap's command in their earpiece. Lucy's breathing was normal. She had expected to be nervous or excited but as soon as they had set off to the warehouse, her pulse had calmed and complete focus settled in her body. This felt right – it felt like she was doing what she was always supposed to do.

Suddenly, a crack in her ear alerted her and she snapped to attention.

"We're clear. Eight individuals inside, all armed. Hawkeye is on top, War Machine and I go in South, Phoenix and Black Widow North. All in place?"

After everyone had given their assurance, Steve gave the commando and the team broke through. Lucy engaged with the smallest Hydra member closest to the North wall. He seemed young, barely any older than her and her attack took him by surprise. Nevertheless, he put up a relentless fight but Lucy instantly fell back on her training. As he reached for his gun, she used his hesitation in lashing out at her and landed a strategic blow, knocking the weapon out his hand. She followed it up immediately with a straight punch at his nose that sent him stumbling back. He caught himself quickly and swung at her but Lucy expected it so she used her favorite move, grabbing the arm that swung towards her, twirling him around and knocking him straight on the floor. With a thumb he landed on the concrete and Lucy delivered another punch at his face that knocked him unconscious. Satisfied that he wouldn't get up again, she picked up his gun.

"South room. Come in." Rhodey's voice sounded in her ear and Lucy looked around. Nat had disappeared but before Lucy started to wonder, she made her way towards the South wall. About four more henchmen had arrived and Cap and Rhodey were fending them off alone so far. Rhodey was engaged in a fight with one who was even larger than him, back turned towards Lucy so she took her chance and delivered a deafening blow to the back of his head with the gun she'd just picked up that immediately knocked him unconscious. He fell and revealed Rhodey's stunned but relieved face. Lucy just grinned.

"Phoenix. There's a locker at the East wall. Get everything in there, papers, whatever it is and get it out."

Lucy obeyed instantly and made her way to the safe whose lock had been blown open in the fighting. She cracked the door open completely with the back end of the gun and pulled out stack of paper, files and pictures. As soon as she finished, she located the nearest exit and got out of the warehouse, putting some distance between her and the hideout, until she was somewhat shielded in a small woodland area. Another ten minutes passed when she saw the team slowly gather outside and her earpiece cracked.

"We're clear. All individuals have been eliminated. Regroup at the South door now."

Lucy made her way out of the bushes and joined the others. Cap and Nat were already waiting, Rhodey nonchalantly strolled out of the warehouse and Clint suddenly jumped from the roof, landing on his feet like a cat.

Steve looked around his team with a satisfied expression. "Well done, everyone. We were quick, organized and got everything we need." He turned to Lucy. "You got those papers?"

She nodded and handed over the stack she'd retrieved from the safe. Steve nodded impressed.

"Great work. I'm very happy with you."

Lucy beamed and her heart felt really light. Clint caught her expression and had a huge grin himself. "Well done for completing your first mission! I saw your work on that poor little henchmen." He grinned as Lucy's smile spread. "Seems like our training paid off." Clint threw Rhodey a look who nodded as well.

"Yes, it seems we've done our job right. I'm proud of you." He placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed it in recognition. Lucy seemed to grow a few inches taller on the spot.

Steve nodded. "Alright, let's get back to the hotel, grab our stuff and then on the jet and home. We've got to debrief Fury and Tony."

They jumped on the van they'd used to get there and Nat slid in right after Lucy. She'd been quiet so far and Lucy wasn't sure why. Wasn't she happy that Lucy was fighting so well? An arm suddenly went around her shoulders and Lucy looked up to see Nat smiling at her. She reciprocated it hesitantly.

"I'm very proud of you, pticka," Nat said quietly, her face and voice serious. "We'll talk more at home but I want you to know that you've really proven yourself today."

Now Lucy's heart felt truly light and she placed her head on Nat's shoulder who stroked her hair. It was quiet in the van, everyone processing the mission and Lucy suddenly felt very tired. She couldn't fall asleep although her eyes closed at the rhythmic motion of the car.

Back at the hotel, Steve – and Lucy if she was honest with herself – were happy to find Wanda in the suite, waiting for them to return. She was a lot more rueful than when they'd left for the mission. The waiting alone was probably enough reflection time, so she didn't argue whatsoever when Steve ordered her to stay close and they made their way to the airfield. Wanda, keeping to herself and sitting quietly in the back of the jet, avoided Lucy as well and she couldn't really begrudge her for it. Whenever she was in trouble, she didn't want to talk to anyone either.

Clint and Rhodey distracted her by anticipating the look on Sam's face when he saw how well his training had paid off. Lucy also helped the adults start the report, explaining her involvement and Steve praised her again.

"These papers contain more evidence of leftover Hydra cells all over the country." He smiled appreciatively at the girl. "Great extraction. And well done for following all orders so promptly. This was a great first mission and I know Peggy is very, very happy with you right now." Lucy's eyes locked with his and she could see pride and warmth in them and she had to swallow a few times to prevent the tears welling up.

The jet was fast and they got to LaGuardia in no time. Happy already waited for them with the minibus and by the time they got back to the tower, it had just turned 6pm. Tony, Peter and Pepper were back from their appointments at Columbia and Sam was also awaiting the team with burning interest.

Steve didn't waste any time in throwing Wanda a stern glance and ordering the girl to her room and she complied instantly. At Peter's confused glance, Lucy only reassured him with a look that she'd fill him in. Steve sighed and, confident that everyone else would explain the day's events to the others, he went upstairs to deal with his wayward protégé.

Nat took the chance and brought everyone up to speed at what had happened with her clear-cut way of explanation. Peter kept throwing amazed glances at Lucy who couldn't help but beam happily through her mentor's description. When Natasha finished, Sam turned to Lucy.

"That was a great first mission. We really trained you well," he said proudly and Rhodey agreed with him once more.

Peter was just stunned. "I can't believe you were on a real mission with the Avengers… and against Hydra! My little neighborhood patrols are nothing compared to that."

Tony smiled. "You're doing real important work there but you will be able to come on a mission when one presents itself." He turned to Lucy. "Well done, birdie. I think we all can agree that you're definitely part of the team now."

Lucy grinned happily and followed Nat upstairs to get cleaned up and be ready for dinner. She hadn't realized how hungry she was but the day's events finally caught up with her. After stepping out of the shower she threw on a Pink Floyd shirt and went to the living room where her mentor was already waiting.

"I wanted to talk to you quickly before we go downstairs to dinner." Natasha led her to the sofas and the two sat down. Lucy could guess this was about the mission but she wasn't sure why Nat would want to talk to her.

Nat looked straight at her, with the eyes that seemed to scan Lucy completely. "You've shown very good judgment today and I'm very proud of you."

Lucy swallowed to keep her emotion under control but she couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction spreading through her body.

"You were very mature today; this morning, when you immediately told us about your and Wanda's exploits and I'm glad to see that our talks seem to pay off." Nat gave her another long look, serious but warmth behind it. "During the mission, you used your head and what you've learned in training, you fought well and you obeyed Cap's orders. You've proven yourself as a fighter and as a team player and you can be very proud of your achievements. I have no reservations about allowing you on other missions now because I know that you're learning." Now she smiled at Lucy who thought to recognize a misty glance in her eyes. "I know Steve already said this but you've made Peggy incredibly proud today."

Lucy couldn't help the tears pricking at her eyes and Nat immediately engulfed her in a tight hug, stroking her back soothingly.

The two pulled apart and Lucy's stomach growled, causing both to laugh, so they went downstairs to join the others for dinner.

When they stepped out of the elevator, the other had already gathered downstairs and Wanda almost ran towards Lucy and threw herself at her to hug her tight. Lucy was surprised but gladly leaned in and reciprocated it.

When Wanda pulled away, she looked at her with serious eyes. "You've done such an amazing job today and I was a complete ass. I'm sorry."

Lucy opened her mouth to respond but Wanda continued. "I shouldn't have asked you to hack into the system but you were great and told them and then you got to do an awesome mission." She grinned. "Peter and I are so proud! It's like our little sister is growing up."

"You do realize that Peter is the youngest, right?" Lucy sighed.

"But you've only started training and living with us in the summer," the spider intervened, having snuck up from behind. "You'll always be the youngest in that respect."

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn't help a wide smile on her face. "Well, who am I to argue with a witch and an arachnid?"

The other two laughed and put an arm each around her shoulder, leading her to the dining table. It was days like these that Lucy couldn't believe just how her life had changed. Only five months ago she'd been completely on her own and now she had a family that cared about her, was going missions with the Avengers and had friends. Life was good.


	7. Defend Your Blessings

Count Your Blessings

Lucy sucked in a sharp breath as Bruce carefully inspected her shoulder. Crashing full-force into a wall and trying to soften the impact by extending her arm wasn't a good idea – it led to her having to interrupt training and visit the med bay.

"It's not tragic, but only due to sheer dumb luck," came Bruce's diagnosis after a while. Lucy sighed and looked up at him while also glancing quickly at her mentor. Nat had all her attention focused on the doctor who continued.

"The arm isn't dislocated but only very narrowly. It's a bad bruised bone and the flesh tore at the limb so you'll need stitches for that." Bruce turned around to disinfect the instruments he'd need.

Lucy paled only slightly and nodded determinedly. Nat put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed it in support while Rhodey crouched down in front of her and took her left hand, the one connected to the healthy shoulder.

Bruce finished his preparations and turned back to his patient. He watched her with sympathetic eyes. "You ready?"

"The way you're talking is making this a lot more unsettling. Just get on with it." Lucy rolled her eyes before closing them.

The scientist didn't say anything else but she could feel him throwing a look to Natasha over her stubbornness. It was useless though, she would never have taken anaesthetic – none of the Avengers ever did for something as trivial as simple stitches.

The sharp pain of the needle entering her skin had Lucy bite down hard on her teeth but it didn't get as bad as expected. It only took six stitches and she kept very still as Bruce was working.

"All done," he said as he put down his instruments and took off his gloves. "You did well." He extended his hand, holding a Strawberry Blow Pop.

Lucy gave him an incredulous look. "I'm not a child!"

Bruce grinned. "These aren't just for children."

"You don't give them to the other Avengers, do you?" Lucy snorted.

"Oh, Clint will never leave this med bay until he got one… although he usually makes much more fuss than you, so maybe I should think my limits for candy over," Bruce mulled.

Lucy's eyes grew and she turned to Nat with a questioning look who just grinned and nodded in support of Bruce's statement.

"My favorites are the Apple ones," Rhodey said completely serious without any sarcasm in his voice.

Lucy didn't need any more reassurance, so she grabbed the candy and jumped off the table.

"Am I done?" she asked impatiently. Bruce nodded but Natasha held her non-injured arm and kept her back.

"Wait a minute. I'd like a word." She nodded to Bruce and Rhodey who both got up and left the examination room and Lucy got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She turned to Nat who had a small smile on her face but Lucy could tell she was about to get serious.

"I know today was an accident, but I don't want a repeat of it." Nat looked directly into her eyes and Lucy held her gaze.

"Your arm has taken quite a few injuries already and almost dislocating your shoulder isn't a joke. You're going to listen to Bruce and keep this arm still for a few weeks. If you don't let it heal properly, it might never be completely ok. I do not want you tearing your stitches, is that understood?" Now her mentor's face was completely stern and Lucy had a harder time holding her gaze. She wasn't sure why Nat felt the need to be this strict about the issue but she had to admit that her track record probably wasn't the best in terms of adhering to doctor's orders. But knowing she wouldn't get out of this and not wanting her arm to become completely useless either, Lucy gave in without a fight.

"Yes, ma'am," she responded firmly, eliciting a smile from Nat who placed a hand on her back and led her upstairs to their own floor to get changed before dinner.

###

Peter had been bouncing off the walls the entire day. It was Thanksgiving and May was coming down from Syracuse for the weekend. Tony convinced her to let him pick her up with the jet which she first denied outright but continued wearing down by Tony, Peter and finally Pepper got her to accept the offer.

Lucy and Wanda were gladly helping in the kitchen, taking control of the side dishes. Pepper was responsible for the turkey and kept the girls entertained by telling them stories about previous holidays with the Avengers. Lucy was absolutely flabbergasted when Clint, Nat, Tony, Steve and Sam had turned up the previous day with a fresh turkey. Pepper had just sighed and explained that it was an Avengers tradition to hunt their own turkey for Thanksgiving. After the initial shock, Lucy was exhilarated by the idea and made Nat promise they'd take her the next year.

She didn't mind taking on new traditions, the entire idea of having a family Thanksgiving was new to her anyway. Her parents had obviously never celebrated with her but instead attended some function or other and even though her grandma had celebrated during the first few years of her life, she was English and never really got behind the idea and after she'd gotten sick, Lucy had never celebrated the holiday again. She was excited for this year's though – the tower family was the first real family she'd ever had and Thanksgiving was probably the most family holiday one could imagine.

Wanda next to her laughed out loud at the end of another one of Pepper's stories and threw another peeled potato in the pot with water.

Pepper sighed. "You can imagine how glad I am to have you two around. Maybe this year will be a somewhat normal Thanksgiving."

"If it was normal, it wouldn't be a tower Thanksgiving though?" Lucy questioned as she used the knife she was holding to push the onion into the pan.

"I suppose that's true," Pepper smiled. "But I'm definitely glad that Clint doesn't have to help in the kitchen anymore… those are terrifying memories."

The girls snickered at the horrified look in her face.

Suddenly, a noise from the elevator distracted the three and they stuck their heads out the kitchen towards the living room. Happy and Tony had arrived with May and Peter gave her a great welcome – understandable since he hadn't seen her in almost a month.

Smiling, Lucy, Wanda and Pepper came out of the kitchen and greeted May who was incredibly happy to see them again. She hugged Pepper tight and thanked the woman immediately for caring for Peter but the ginger just waved the thanks away and said that Peter was a joy to live with. Wanda snorted at that and quickly made her way back to the kitchen as Steve threw her a warning glance but May just laughed. She followed her to help out too and, on the way there, Pepper directed the others to duties as well, from setting the table to helping out with the salads. Lucy could definitely see how she made such a great C.E.O. It didn't take long for dinner to be finished after that and finally the entire family sat at the large dining room table, Lucy happily between Nat and Clint.

Before anyone was allowed to start eating, Tony and Steve demanded to say a few words and May gave Peter a stern glance as he loudly groaned. Lucy just snickered – everyone knew how hungry the spider was all the time and sitting at a table in front of so much amazing food must be torture.

"Don't worry, Peter, it's only a few words," Tony grinned before clearing his throat and holding up his glass of champagne that even the kids were allowed today.

"Today's Thanksgiving and we're all supposed to reflect upon what we're grateful for. None of us can deny that the past year was very eventful, both good and bad and that the entire team was tested time and time again. But I'm happy to say that we've come out of this stronger than before, both in spirit and in number."

He let his eyes wander across the table, from Steve over Peter to Wanda and Lucy.

"We've finally talked openly with one another, we've reorganized Shield and we're going more resilient into the future than ever before. We've taken on new members that have already made us very proud and will continue to do so in the years coming."

Nat put a hand on Lucy's shoulder and squeezed it, while the younger girl happily leaned into the touch and looked around to catch Wanda and Peter's smiles.

"I'm thankful that we're all together today, finally able to take a breather and enjoy life for once."

He raised his glass. "To the Avengers."

"To the Avengers," sounded the voices firmly from around the table.

Everyone took a sip as Tony sat down again before Steve got up as well.

"Thank you, Tony, and don't worry everyone," he gave a pointed look to Peter, "I'll make it short as well."

"I'm thankful for all of you here together, happy and healthy. Specifically, I want to thank Tony for pulling the strings and working tirelessly to get half this team exonerated. The months after that have been some of the best we've ever had and that's not only due to all of us being together again but also to our new additions. I'm grateful for our new young members who bring so much life and joy into this tower."

He smiled at the three kids and Lucy gave him a thankful grin back. Natasha's grip tightened again and Lucy couldn't believe how happy she was. This time last year she would've never thought any of this could ever happen but it did and it was real and happening. 

She had to laugh along with everyone else as Peter desperately asked whether they could finally start eating and lastly, everyone began digging into the mountains of food on the table.

After a long time of eating, drinking and talking, Lucy felt full like she hadn't in a long time. She didn't think she'd be able to eat until Christmas again but she did manage another slice of pumpkin pie when prompted by Peter.

Finally, the entire family moved to the living room and divided into two groups to start the games. Pictionary was first and Peter volunteered to start drawing for his team. As soon as he drew his card, he frowned deeply and started out with a shape resembling nothing but a potato. Lucy yelled it out but only got a disbelieving look back and laughter from the other group. Peter kept adding lines and shapes and the guesses kept coming.

"Airplane!"

"Banana!"

"Coat hanger!"

"How's that a coat hanger, Tony?" Clint got really competitive, especially because Nat was in the other team.

Peter gave up drawing and started pointing at what was already on the board, in between throwing his arms up in desperation.

"You've got twenty seconds left!" Pepper's voice was full of glee.

Lucy was good at thinking under stress and suddenly she had an epiphany. "A hoover!"

"Yes! Finally!" Peter shook his head. "Really guys! It wasn't that bad of a drawing."

Sam cocked his head. "Well…"

"Stop arguing, we got the points!" Happy intervened.

"Interesting how you recognized a hoover, Lucy, I didn't think you knew how one looked like," Bruce couldn't help but tease the girl who threw him an exasperated look.

"Alright, our turn," Rhodey jumped to action and drew the next card.

The time passed quickly and Lucy's team lost by one card. She blamed Clint's inability to draw anything more complex than a wiggly line, but it didn't matter – they had fun.

Charades was probably her favorite and true to form, her team won by two right guesses. Lucy's rendition of 'Gone with the Wind' had the entire group in fits of laughter but considering the complexity of the movie, Sam guessed it in record time.

The day passed quicker than any of the family members would've liked but it had been a great time. Peter was excited that May would stay the next day as well and he planned to throw himself into the Black Friday craziness with her. Wanda and Pepper were also going but Lucy decided to stay at home – she didn't need to find any bargains; her trust fund was filled to the brim and she hoped to get ahead on some work for her suit.

The family stayed in the living room, talking, joking and telling May about the past month at the tower until after midnight. Slowly, the group broke up and Peter was finally ushered into his room by May who said he'd drop dead tomorrow if he didn't get any sleep. Wanda and Steve also made their way towards the elevator and Nat nudged Lucy slightly who in turn got up with her and followed them. They said goodnight to the two as they left before going up another floor.

"I'll come by your room when you're in bed, alright?" Nat addressed Lucy as they stepped onto their level and she only nodded in response and disappeared immediately. She was incredibly tired and the amount of food she'd eaten started to take a toll on her and her eyes kept falling shut.

When Lucy pulled the covers up around her and sat up as Nat entered the room with a smile and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Today was good then?"

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "It was amazing. I don't think I ever had such a great Thanksgiving."

Nat smiled and stroked her arm over the covers. "I'm glad. With all the food you've eaten, you probably won't be hungry again till Christmas."

The girl smiled but sighed before looking up at her mentor with serious eyes. "Tony mentioned it earlier and Steve did too… about saying what you're thankful for at Thanksgiving."

Nat watched her curiously, having an idea where this would lead.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really, really thankful for you. For taking me in, training me, caring for me… you know, everything." Lucy stocked and looked down on the covers. "Even when I was being stupid like when I went back to school because I didn't wanna follow the rules. You never gave up on me, even though I've given you enough reasons by now and I'm grateful."

She bit her lip and managed to look back up into Natasha's eyes that definitely had a glimmer in them and she looked like she wanted to say something so Lucy quickly continued but only managed the odd shy glance at her mentor.

"You know, after moving out, I realized that I really missed our quality time, watching movies, playing games, all that and I was telling myself that I didn't miss your lectures or your stern looks, because it'd be crazy if I missed that. But truth is, I missed all of it, the fun stuff as well as the reprimands. And I just wanted you to know that whatever I might do, I'll always be thankful for everything you do for me." She stopped and looked back steadily into Nat's eyes that were uncharacteristically misty.

"Ptichka…" she said softly, a smile spreading on her face and she engulfed Lucy in a tight hug.

"Thank you for everything you've just said." Nat looked seriously into her protégé's eyes, keeping her at arm's length.

"I'm thankful to have you in my life. I told you, I never thought I'd be anything close to a mother, but here we are and I got you right here with me. Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I know I'm not always perfect and I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong but I want you to know that I will do anything in my power to make you feel happy and loved. I promise."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You've got be kidding! You're the best mom I could've ever wished for!"

A surprised but unbelievably happy expression spread across Nat's face. "Thank you, ptichka, that means a lot. And I can give that compliment right back; you're the best daughter I could've ever imagined. You make me so proud, like no one else can. There is no reason in this world that could make me want to give you up."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat again and she fell into Natasha's arms again. She couldn't believe the turn her life had taken but it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Less than a year ago, her grandmother died and she never thought she'd ever be happy or content again. But Wanda was right. Here, at the tower, surrounded by people that genuinely loved and cared about her, her heart was healing and there were more and more instances when it felt light and whole again – just like today.

###

It was the Saturday following Thanksgiving, the team was at the base upstate and the jet had just left to take May back to Syracuse. The adults had been called onto a mission, nothing dangerous, only recon, but it was still exciting. They'd allowed the kids to watch the footage on the cameras in the control room, so they were all huddled in front of the monitors there.

Lucy was interested in all the different Shield operations they had going on in the same room and Hill patiently explained every detail she wanted to know. At some point in the not-so-distant future, Lucy would become a Shield agent, possibly even taking the position of director and Hill thought it was never too early to start teaching her.

The mission went as quick as expected and the ones that had gone in - Nat, Tony, Steve, Clint and Sam – did their job efficiently. Bruce was waiting in the control room with the others since the operation wasn't big enough to involve the Hulk, but he was going to help with any injuries that needed clearing up.

Watching the action on the monitors was great, although all the kids would've loved to be involved. Seeing the extent of the opposing force did dampen their enthusiasm and they realized why none of the adults would let them be a part. They were impulsive and reckless but there was a clear limit that none of them would cross. Lucy had to keep her shoulder still in any case because it was still healing.

Finally, the message came through that everyone was on the Quinjet and made their way back to base, so Peter and Wanda went ahead to meet them on the landing platform. Lucy stayed behind to pick up some papers Hill had prepared and followed a few minutes later.

As it was a Saturday, the base was pretty empty and only the minimal staff for this mission or any other Shield teams running were present. Lucy was waiting for the elevator to arrive on the highest level and as she was standing there, another agent strolled up next to her. She'd seen him around a few times but she couldn't remember his name if she wanted to. He wasn't tall but his distinct hairstyle and posture made her think he was probably transferred from the military, now trying to make his way up within Shield. After a moment of silence, he turned to her.

"Pretty quiet today, hmm?"

Lucy turned her head in surprise and just nodded. The man extended his hand.

"I don't think we've been introduced. Agent Reed."

She shook his hand. "Lucy Rutherford, pleased to meet you."

Reed formed a small smile. "We've had a lot of buzz around you here. How's your training going?"

The elevator arrived and Lucy wished it wasn't so many floors to the landing deck. She could easily do small talk but Reed gave her a bad feeling. He was one of so many that would do whatever it took to climb up the ladder. But not even an ambitious agent would make her forget her manners.

"It's going pretty well. Getting there, you know."

Reed nodded understandingly and smiled again. Lucy thought he looked a little like a shark which seemed strange since he was only a few inches taller than her.

"Can't believe they didn't let you on this mission. I mean, simple recon – one should think you'd be capable of that."

Lucy took a deep breath. "It's alright, it turned out to be bigger than expected."

She punched the elevator button again. Why wouldn't it move faster?

"You're being trained by Romanoff, right?"

Lucy was still turned towards the elevator walls but nodded slightly. She could hear Reed huff.

"She thinks she's all that. The most dangerous assassin in Shield, but only here because Clint's heart's too weak. And because Fury needs eye candy around."

Lucy let out a flat breath and punched the elevator button again, having to exercise all her restraint to not flat out punch the wall.

"You know she can't have children, so now she's living out all her fantasies with you. Maybe she should just retire and –"

Reed wasn't able to finish his sentence as Lucy spun around and landed a measured punch right in the middle of his face. As she extended her arm, she could feel the stitched in her shoulder tearing but she didn't care. All that mattered was that Reed was finally quiet, stumbling back while holding his nose. The elevator pinged and the doors opened to reveal the landing deck. Lucy strolled out towards the Quinjet that had arrived by now with the entire team assembled in front.

Lucy gave them her most dashing smile. "Hey guys, how'd it go?"

###

Bruce only shook his head and Lucy avoided Natasha's disappointed face. She knew none of them were happy – especially since her injury turned out to be the worst of all of them and she hadn't even been on the mission. Her stitches did tear and it took another six to take care of the wound and this time round, Bruce wasn't as happy with her.

"I told you not to strain your arm," he said in a low voice and Lucy tried to evade his gaze. Bruce was usually mild-mannered so when he was upset, she really messed up.

"So did I," Natasha addressed her sternly and Lucy's shoulders sank a little.

"What happened?" It wasn't a question but an order to explain and the girl obeyed immediately. Though Nat really didn't need to know the entire story.

"This guy was running his mouth," she mumbled, not risking a look up.

"Peter runs his mouth and you ignore it," Nat challenged her with raised eyebrows.

Lucy's expression darkened. "Peter's easier to ignore."

Nat didn't say anything further but watched her with a thoughtful face.

"Great, you're all done." Bruce threw her another Blow Pop that she caught in her left hand.

"Go to your room and wait. I'll join you in a minute," Nat directed her, mouth in a straight line.

Lucy kept her sigh to herself until she'd left the medical wing.

She was waiting in her room for less than five minutes until her mentor joined her.

Nat came into the room with a foreboding expression before sitting on the edge of Lucy's bed.

"You promised me you'd keep the arm still and let it heal."

Lucy swallowed and looked down on her hands. The disappointment in Nat's voice was hard to deal with and it didn't get easier the more often it happened.

She heard her mentor sigh. "You're grounded for two weeks and you'll let your shoulder heal now."

Lucy winced as she felt Nat's hand under her chin, forcing her to look into her stern eyes.

"If it happens again, the consequences will be much stricter. Are we clear?"

The girl nodded slightly. "Yes, ma'am." She might've had a reason to break with her promise but the fact was that she'd broken a promise. She wouldn't argue with a deserved punishment.

Nat let go of her chin and instead took her shoulders, taking care not to touch the injury. "I know that you can be reasonable, so just be mature for two weeks and your shoulder will be good as new."

Lucy nodded and gave her a small smile that Nat reciprocated before standing up to go downstairs, leaving Lucy to get some of her homework done.

###

Back in the living room of the base, the other adults were gathered as Nat entered. Clint threw her a skeptical look that had Nat just sigh.

"I grounded her for two weeks." She didn't look convinced. "I still don't understand why she did it."

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "She's impulsive, what can I say."

Nat shook her head. "It must've been more than that."

"This is Lucy we're talking about," Steve reminded everyone. "She doesn't break promises unless there's a good reason."

Everyone had to nod in agreement. A promise Lucy gave was as good as gold – a habit Peggy had engrained in her since she could talk.

Clint looked thoughtful. "He must've said something to really push her over the edge. Completely possible by the way, Reed is an idiot."

Steve threw him a warning glance.

"I'd like to see what went down in that elevator," Nat mulled, turning to Tony.

"Let's have a look then," the genius immediately sprang into action but remembered to throw a questioning glance to Steve.

He looked a little indecisive at first but then sighed with a resigned expression and waved to them, allowing them to proceed.

It didn't take long for Tony to hack into the security footage – not even Fury's security system born out of decades of paranoia was a match for his intelligence.

J.A.R.V.I.S. pulled up the tapes from the elevator on the monitor in the living room and everyone watched a silent movie of Lucy and Reed in the elevator, ending with Lucy punching the agent square in the face.

Nat frowned but couldn't see anything unusual except Lucy's clear struggle to exercise restraint.

"Can we get the sound for that?" she asked Tony who nodded and let the film run again.

Everything seemed to go normal although Lucy's body language clearly betrayed her unwillingness to engage in small talk with Reed. Until the situation went sour.

"_Can't believe they didn't let you on this mission. I mean, simple recon – one should think you'd be capable of that."_

"_It's alright, it turned out to be bigger than expected."_

Everyone realized that Lucy was getting fed up with the agent but Nat still couldn't tell what Reed might've said that would upset Lucy enough to get physical.

"_You're being trained by Romanoff, right?"_

The living room fell even more silent than before if that was possible. Nat kept her eyes glued on the screen. She recognized the little details in Lucy's posture that clearly showed the girl was getting annoyed at Reed. She was just flabbergasted that Reed didn't seem to pick up on any of it.

"_She thinks she's all that. The most dangerous assassin in Shield, but only here because Clint's heart's too weak. And because Fury needs eye candy around."_

Oh no. Nat's heart stocked for a brief second. Now she had a clear idea of where this encounter went south. None of the others in the living room dared to look at her, not even Clint but instead kept their eyes focused on the screen.

"_You know she can't have children, so now she's living out all her fantasies with you. Maybe she should just retire and –" _

Once Reed was stumbling back with a bleeding nose, Nat waved to Tony who stopped the tape and silence settled in the room.

It didn't take long until Clint spoke up, barely containing the rage in his voice.

"I'm gonna get him disciplined so hard, he won't know what day it is –"

"Clint." Nat's voice was calm. This wasn't by far the worst thing she'd heard and she obviously knew none of it was true.

"We've gotta do something about him." The usual hint of nonchalantness was missing in Tony's voice completely and murmured agreement came from everyone else in the room.

"No. That's only gonna get him the attention he wants," Nat declared firmly. She had a thoughtful look on her face.

Steve cocked his head at her. "Are you gonna talk to Lucy?"

Nat nodded. "She still shouldn't have given him the satisfaction of reacting but at least now I know the reason why."

With that she exited the living room, leaving the other behind brooding, still hellbent on finding some form of retribution for Reed.

When a knock on her door disturbed Lucy in her school work, she looked up and answered. Natasha appeared in the frame with a strange expression on her face. Lucy wasn't sure why it was so unnerving.

Nat sat herself on her bed and looked at her expectantly.

"I'd been wondering why you disregarded your promise to me so easily."

Lucy's heart sunk. She thought they'd been past this discussion but apparently it unsettled Nat more than expected.

Nat sighed. "I know what happened, Lucy. I had Tony pull the surveillance tapes of what happened in the elevator and we watched them."

The girl paled and an apologetic expression spread on her face. "Don't listen to anything that idiot said. It's not true."

Her mentor managed a wonky smile and nodded. "I know that. My question is why didn't you tell me? I didn't want to believe that you'd break a promise for a trivial reason."

Lucy sunk her head. "You told me not to get my arm injured further and I know you want me to keep my impulsiveness in check." She sighed and managed a cautious glance at Nat.

She didn't look angry or disappointed. Her eyes were stern but there was a warmth behind that Lucy hadn't expected.

"You're right. I don't want your impulsiveness to take over and your temper run wild, but I do want to know what would drive you to break a promise," Nat said softly. "I'm gonna shorten your grounding to a week."

Lucy looked up in surprise and watched her mentor's expression carefully. It was calm but serious.

"But you can be assured that if this happens again, there will be stricter consequences," Nat continued sternly. "Lashing out and letting your temper get the better of you was still wrong, especially with an injury, and you need to work on keeping calm. But I'm happy that you're willing to stand up for the people you care about and I'm honored that I'm one of them."

The girl's face turned happy and she fell around Natasha's neck. The older woman smiled and reciprocated the hug tightly.

After Lucy pulled away, she looked straight into her green eyes.

"You don't believe a word of what he said, right?" she asked, almost worried about Nat's feelings. "I don't care if I'm letting you fulfill parent fantasies or whatever, I'm glad if it makes you happy and –"

She didn't get any further as Nat pulled her on her lap and pressed her head to her chest. Lucy hadn't realized that tears formed in her eyes but listening to Nat's heartbeat calmed her.

"He's an idiot. I care about you Lucy, not because I want to be a mother but because you're important to me. The whole parenting thing just happened as a result and it makes me happier than anything else ever has. But not because I get to be a mother. Because I get to be a mother to you."

Nat tightened her grip and Lucy took a few deep breaths. She looked up into her mentor's eyes that were slightly worried. She smiled and relief spread across Natasha's expression.

After a few minutes, Lucy was completely calm and after reassurances from both sides that they were fine, Nat left the room. On her way back to the living room she thought back to Agent Reed and that some form of retribution might be fun. Maybe a little intimidation. She was good at that. A small smile spread across her face and she went downstairs, determined to ask Clint if he had any ideas.


	8. Sweet Sixteen

Sweet Sixteen

New York was beautiful in December. It was possibly Lucy's favorite time in the city. The Upper East Side was full of colored lights and Christmas trees stood at every possible corner. Every shop started playing Christmas songs and Lucy wasn't yet fed up with them. Wanda and she had decided to start on their Christmas shopping early. It was a Wednesday after school and Peter had to get home straight away to finish some work and get out patrolling in time. The girls had more time and strolled along the shopping malls and stores in search for some Christmas presents and also to hang out between just the two of them.

Thankfully, both had similar clothing styles although Lucy was a lot more fluid with her trust fund – that Wanda still declined to take from although Lucy continually wore her down – and the first stop was Urban Outfitters on 3rd Avenue. With armful of clothes, the girls disappeared into the fitting rooms and it didn't take long for Lucy to emerge, wearing a jazzy 80s style sweater. When Wanda laid eyes on her, she started giggling uncontrollably.

"I gotta say, it goes really well with the school skirt. Really reminds me of some psychedelic drug episode."

Lucy started laughing until her sides hurt but she did like the sweater and with some simple black jeans it might actually be less flashy.

Wanda also found a few pieces that she liked and the girls made their way down the street.

Lucy pulled Wanda along and turned to her with serious eyes. The witch knew that look and sighed already.

"You know what I'm gonna say."

"But we need nice dresses for Christmas! Let me do this one nice thing for you. Tony would buy it anyway, come on!" Lucy was really persuasive if she wanted to and Wanda knew she'd lose this battle anyway.

"Fine, but no Ralph Lauren."

Lucy almost jumped. "You won't regret it! Let's go!"

She pulled Wanda by her arm further down right into Bloomingdale's. Wanda didn't feel comfortable in between all the expensive fabrics and dresses but Lucy was right at home and her natural behavior did help Wanda settle. She wasn't used to expensive clothes and accessories but Tony wouldn't let any of them step outside in ragged clothes anymore. Even Bruce had to update his purple shirt. It was still purple but now Armani.

The girls emerged from the store with beautiful Christmas dresses in large bags and Wanda was happy with her selection though she didn't want to look at the price tag twice. Lucy didn't care about that sort of thing. She was like Tony in this respect. They had so much money, they didn't care how much they spent but they also both made sure that everyone else had their fair share too. Wanda relaxed as both girls entered their favorite coffee shop and ordered the new Christmas specialty lattes and a bagel. She listened with only half an ear to Lucy lamenting the lack of pumpkin spice lattes for another ten months.

"What are you getting Nat for Christmas?"

Lucy only sighed in response. She liked shopping for gifts but her mentor was a tough nut to crack. She was usually so focused on missions and her jobs that she didn't have much time for hobbies. Lucy had been thinking for months and didn't come up with much.

"I don't know, it's really difficult. I have an idea but it might be stupid…" she trailed off.

"What is it?" Wanda encouraged her to carry on.

"You know how our favorite Disney movie is Mulan?" Lucy continued and Wanda nodded. "Yeah, so I was thinking I could get her something from the Disney store? Is that a ridiculous idea?"

Wanda smiled and shook her head. "I think it's great, honestly!"

Lucy still looked skeptical. "You think? I mean… what do you get a Shield agent for Christmas?" She grinned.

"Don't think about it like that," Wanda intervened. "Think about what you would get your mother for Christmas."

Lucy threw her a disbelieving look. "That's not helping."

Wanda gave a wonky smile. "Well, think what normal kids would get their parents for Christmas."

"That's what you did with Steve?" Lucy asked and the other girl nodded.

"Yup. I haven't found anything yet but I got some ideas. That's what I now tell shop clerks and they're actually pretty helpful. More helpful than when you ask what to get Captain America."

The girls started laughing and after they finished their coffee, Wanda ushered Lucy in the direction of the Disney store.

"This one is great!" Wanda held up a water bottle with a stylized Mulan figure on it. "Perfect for training."

"Throw it in the bag," Lucy nodded and kept looking.

She showed Wanda a red, 90s style, oversize T-Shirt with Mushu on it. "You think she'd like this one?"

Wanda's eyes grew. "Oh, yes, that's awesome!"

Lucy tossed it in the bag as well and held up her last find, a dark green, cropped, sleeveless hoodie vest with the golden dragon logo over the chest. Wanda nodded enthusiastically and the girls went to pay for their treasures. Lucy was happy that she finally found Christmas presents for Nat. Wanda assured her that she'd love it – it was personal and something that connected the two of them.

Back at the tower, the girls arrived just in time for dinner and even that turned eventful when Nat addressed Lucy.

"Have you thought about what you want to do for your birthday?"

Everyone at the table listened up.

Peter's eyes lit up. "It's your sweet sixteen!"

Lucy just shrugged and threw a careful look at Tony. "Honestly? Nothing much. I didn't think we'd wanna celebrate much."

Tony caught her look and immediately stopped her train of thought. "Don't worry about it. I think it's great if the day gets a happier connotation."

The girl gave a half smile. "I still don't wanna do much. My past few birthdays I always had to celebrate with the girls from school but I'll gladly pass on that this year. Just a nice, calm day with my family is enough."

Nat nodded in understanding.

"You'll still want to have a nice cake though," Pepper surmised.

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Something fruity would be nice."

"Done deal!" The ginger pulled out her phone and started noting down ideas.

"You want any specific presents?" Tony asked but Lucy only shrugged again.

"No, I think I'm good. I mean – I don't need anything." She sighed. "This is gonna sound crazy first world but it's hard to think of a present when you can buy everything yourself."

Most at the table just gave an amused smile but Tony nodded in earnest agreement.

"We'll organize a nice chill party, alright?" Nat concluded the brainstorming session. "It's only about ten days away anyway."

Lucy nodded happily and got up to help clean up after dinner before relocating to the living room to watch Jeopardy with the rest of the family that had the evening off.

###

Lucy's birthday was only a few days away but it was probably the furthest on her mind right now. The provisional AP English exam was scheduled for tomorrow and the three all had to take it. They were currently crammed into Lucy's room, having spent the entire night cramming books and analysis. Usually, she didn't have to study – math, physics and chemistry came naturally - but English was another issue and her brain wasn't wired for it. She still didn't have to study as much as others but a little was still more than nothing.

The mountain of Monster grew as the night went on and especially Wanda got more and more desperate. Peter was his relaxed self but Lucy could feel the tension underneath. While the kids were trying to get through as much English as possible, procrastination was a persistent enemy and playing around with their powers was always more fun, especially at first but when midnight rolled around, they started working earnestly.

Peter finally got up to stretch his feet and wandered over to the window. When he opened the blinds, the kids were startled by the morning light that suddenly shone into the room.

Lucy only threw a short glance up and kept scribbling furiously but Wanda stared at the sun.

"Jesus Christ, it's the morning already! What are we gonna do?"

"Maybe we could start with calming the fuck down?" Peter turned around.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Wanda almost shrieked. "We're still on Hemmingway! We haven't so much looked at Lee!"

"At least you know you're not alone," Peter was still calm and Lucy, in her hectic scribbling, wondered how he wasn't freaking out yet. They really didn't cover enough so far.

"We're all gonna fail, we're all gonna get our asses handed to us and we're all in the same boat."

Now Lucy stopped writing, basically threw her pen across the room and looked up with frantic eyes. "I don't wanna be in that boat! I wanna be in a different boat, sailing down a totally different river!" Her voice almost took on Wanda's shriek who turned to her.

"Why are you stressed anyway? You're the genius here."

"I can do science!" Lucy exclaimed. "Logic! But English isn't logical!"

Wanda just groaned. "Why didn't we start earlier?"

She didn't direct her desperate question at anyone in particular but unfortunately, all of them could answer it.

"Out patrolling too much," Peter mumbled.

Lucy just sighed. "I don't know, English is boring. I've been reading Shield protocols." Wanda threw her a disbelieving look. "That's less boring than literature?"

"They're interesting, okay?" Lucy responded defensively.

Peter suddenly turned rational. "Why are we freaking out anyway? We have another chance in May."

His attitude didn't transfer to Lucy.

"I can't fail!" Her eyes turned wild. "I've never failed anything in my life!"

Wanda also shook her head hysterically. "I don't wanna see Steve's face when I come home with anything worse than a C."

Peter jumped when Lucy suddenly let out a strangled cry. She hadn't even thought about Nat's reaction but now she had another motivation to do everything in her power to not fail this exam.

When the three got downstairs for breakfast, Nat threw Lucy a knowing look but didn't say anything. Lucy almost groaned again. This meant Nat was in her 'let her make her own mistakes and learn from it' mood and that never ended well. Steve frowned as he saw their worried faces but Wanda managed a wonky, highly unconvincing smile that stopped any comment.

"I think your sweater is the wrong way 'round, honey," Pepper casually mentioned as Lucy picked up her eggs.

The girl twisted to throw a look over her shoulder and saw the school logo on her back. She quickly changed it and when she pulled it over her head again, she caught Clint's amused smile. With a frown in his direction she sat and gulped down her breakfast and coffee and snatched another cup to go when Happy appeared in the door, ready to take the kids. Lucy jumped up, grabbed her bag and, after leaning down and letting Nat press a kiss to her forehead, walked towards the door.

The drive to Columbia was too short for any of their liking and they quizzed each other in the car. It didn't go terrible but Lucy still had concerns whether she would pass this exam. When they got to the school, Happy stopped and turned around with a sympathetic expression.

"Good luck, guys, you'll do great."

The skeptical faces he got in return told a different story but the kids didn't stall any longer and got out of the car and walked into school.

All the kids in their year had gathered in front of the double doors to the examination room. Lucy went over to the group around Olivia and was assured that none of them took this exam seriously either. Columbia was an academic school but as long as the exam wasn't serious, the rich kids wouldn't try as hard as they could.

Lucy returned to Peter and Wanda who had gone back to quizzing each other on Hemmingway.

"You're really gambling on a Hemmingway question, huh?"

The poisonous look Wanda threw her shut Lucy up straight away but Mrs. Epstein who walked around the corner that moment brought silence upon the entire hallway.

With one last look to her partners in crime, Lucy took a deep breath and followed the mass of students into the exam hall and took her place at one of the tiny desks.

###

"That wasn't too bad!" Peter was too happy for the occasion and Wanda only threw him an exasperated look in response.

"I don't know about you but I barely scraped by," Wanda said dejectedly but Lucy learned not to take her opinion for pure gold. The witch was somewhat of a pessimist, so she just shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm just glad that they put the Hemmingway question… I don't think we would've been able to write a single word on 'To Kill a Mockingbird'."

Peter turned with a grin on his face. "Guys, we made it out of our first AP exam alive!"

The girls looked at each other and smiled.

"Let's have lunch," Lucy pushed her friends towards the break room. The three of them crashed at one of the round tables that was half-built into the wall, hiding from curious glances through the glass wall.

Lucy had gotten used to having lunch with her friends during the past few months. She'd never done it before, if anything she sat with Olivia's crew in the cafeteria but it was always more a business lunch feeling rather than having fun with classmates.

After lunch, Wanda and Lucy pulled out some homework they'd neglected during the exam preparation. Peter got out his Spiderman notebook and worked on a new version of his web fluid that still had a few calculations missing.

###

"Which one do you like better?" Pepper held two pictures under Lucy's nose.

Lucy's eyes wandered back and forth from a purple, red and black cake to a gold, red and white one.

"You really didn't need to put this much effort into this, you know that?"

Pepper only huffed. "Oh please, it's your sixteenth birthday! So, which one is it?"

Lucy grinned. "I guess I should be glad you didn't also find a red, white and blue one?"

Tony couldn't help snickering but Steve only rolled his eyes.

"I'll have to stick with the family colors." Lucy pointed to the purple, red and black theme. "Sorry Tony."

"Nah, it's fine," the genius responded good-naturedly. "I understand the obligation. I just hope Peter does too." He threw the spider a long look who didn't bother looking up from his phone.

"I'll have a star-spangled cake," he drawled.

Tony pointed a finger at him. "That's it, you're disowned."

Now Peter looked up. "I didn't know I was gonna inherit anything."

"Tony, that's not how we were gonna tell him!" Pepper said exasperatedly.

Tony smiled. "Oh well, too late."

Peter grinned and shrugged and threw a lazy look on the pictures. "I think you made the right choice."

"Agreed," Clint called over Pepper's shoulder who spun around.

"What were you doing in the kitchen?" she asked him with narrowed eyes.

He backed away slowly, holding a glass of orange juice. "Just getting a drink. I didn't touch anything electric, I swear."

Pepper considered him dangerous eyes before Nat walked out the kitchen as well, holding a bottle.

"Who bought Sunny D?" She looked around the table with the same threateningly narrowed eyes as Pepper.

"Do you know how bad this is? How much sugar it has?"

While Nat was talking, Clint slowly made his way towards the door, trying to hide his glass as much as he could but Pepper already spotted him. She gave Nat a look and together the two women made their way towards the agent who quickly spun around and left the floor.

Shaking their heads, Nat and Pepper returned to the table while everyone else had erupted into fits of laughter.

"At least you've chosen a cake decoration," the ginger addressed Lucy. "Nothing left to do except wait for tomorrow." 

Lucy smiled in response but she had one more thing to ask.

"I was thinking… I wanted to visit grandma tomorrow morning, you know, before we celebrate?" She looked at Steve who nodded in response.

"Of course, I'll come with you."

Tony also smiled softly. "I'll join you as well… I should probably bring my parents some flowers."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, guys."

###

It was freezing cold the next morning. The cemetery was deserted, only a few senior citizens were visiting and maintaining graves. Happy let Lucy, Steve and Tony out and decided to wait in the car park with the car heating running.

Lucy pulled her coat and scarf tight around herself to keep in some of the warmth. She was carrying two large bouquets of flowers in her arms as well as a fresh candle.

She'd woken up quite early and found Natasha sitting by her bedside. It was a new experience – ever since she started boarding school, no one had bothered to do something special on her birthday. She usually invited her colleagues from school for a dinner like she was expected but since her grandma had gotten sick, it was basically a day like every other.

Having Nat be there when she woke up a year older was nice – Lucy couldn't imagine why, since she'd spent years telling herself her birthday wasn't special.

"Happy Birthday, ptichka," Nat smiled at her and Lucy fell in her arms straightaway.

After they pulled apart, her mentor extended a gift, wrapped in Avengers paper, eliciting a grin from Lucy.

"I know you said you couldn't think of anything but it's your birthday and you deserve a gift." She kept smiling. "I hope you'll like it."

Lucy carefully unwrapped it, not wanting to rip apart Cap's face and revealed a beautifully delicate silver bar bracelet, with навсегда engraved on it as well as a little birthstone on the chain. Her eyes grew and as she looked up into Nat's, she couldn't help the tears forming in them.

"It's perfect! It's so beautiful! I love it! Thank you so much!" She flung her arms around her mentor's neck again and Nat hugged her tight.

"I'm glad you like it. Now you should probably get dressed so you get to the cemetery and back in time."

Lucy nodded and jumped up, choosing a blue Burberry dress and putting on her new bracelet before walking downstairs where everyone else also wished her a happy birthday. When Clint saw her walking down from the elevator, he opened his arms and that was all the invitation Lucy needed. She sprinted towards him and he lifted her up and swung her around.

"I can't believe you're sixteen," Clint mused. "Seems like yesterday when you were born and–"

"Alright, that's enough!" Lucy interrupted him quickly. "No embarrassing stories today."

Steve smiled. "I hope I can stop myself. Happy Birthday, sweetheart." He hugged her tightly.

Peter and Wanda jumped out the kitchen and could barely stop themselves from crashing into her. They engulfed her in a group hug.

"Finally you're sixteen as well!" Peter apparently tried to crack her bones with how tight his grip was.

Lucy pretended to gasp for air which resulted in the spider loosening his grip with a subdued expression.

"Sorry, I'm just really excited."

Wanda started pushing her towards the door. "Alright, the three of you, of to visit the cemetery, otherwise we won't have enough time to prepare."

Lucy laughed and left the tower towards the garage, flanked by Steve and Tony.

###

Peggy and Howard and Maria laid close to each other. It's what her grandma had requested and like always, she'd gotten what she wanted.

The first stop was the grey stone with the well-maintained green before it, though at this time of year, it was covered in snow. It was telling that Lucy didn't start crying the moment she laid eyes on the grave. She once again thought back to Wanda's words and how true they were. Living at the tower really healed her broken heart.

She kneeled down on the cold stones, framing the grave bed and laid down the first bouquet that had all different kinds of flowers, including her grandma's favorite, lilies.

"Hey grandma," Lucy started out softly, the greeting not feeling so strange anymore after she'd come here regularly over the past few months. Never alone though, always accompanied by Steve and sometimes also Sharon – it made every visit less painful.

"I'm sixteen today. It's weird, isn't it?" She stocked and focused her look on the name engraved in the stone. _Margret Elizabeth Carter._ This is where she'd gotten her own middle name from.

"But it's a much better birthday than last year. I mean, you're not here, but I got everyone else and they're preparing a whole party." She shook her arm and revealed the bracelet. "Nat got me this bracelet, she engraved it with 'forever' in Russian. It's pretty, isn't it? She did so much for me in the past few months and this is perfect."

Lucy could feel Steve's reassuring hand on her shoulder so she continued.

"I miss you, especially today, but my heart doesn't hurt as much anymore. You probably know this already, cause you're watching me from up there, but they're taking really good care of me."

Steve and Tony both nodded in support and Lucy had to smile. Both wanted to make sure that Peggy was happy – it was cute.

"So, yeah, I think that's all I wanted to tell you. Just making sure that you don't worry. I'm starting out being sixteen happy and healthy and cared for." 

"And loved," Steve added. Lucy turned to see his face but he focused on the grave stone as well.

"I promise you, we're making sure she's okay, Peg. Your granddaughter is in the best hands."

He also sunk to his knees, as did Tony.

"You were the best godmother I could've wished for and I hope that I can be as good an uncle to your granddaughter."

Lucy shifted slightly to lean reassuringly against him.

He continued. "I hope you're alright up there, together with mom and dad…"

Lucy took a deep breath before lighting the candle and replacing the old one that had almost completely burned down.

With a last long look to the grave, the three got up and walked the few feet over to the double grave that belonged to Howard and Maria.

Tony went first, kneeling and talking softly before Lucy and Steve joined them.

"I don't think I've introduced Lucy yet. She's pretty much you, dad, except with a few of Peggy's genes. You'd like her. It's even her birthday today."

Lucy smiled softly. "I'm not as intelligent, Tony's exaggerating."

"No, she definitely is," Steve intervened immediately.

The girl just shook her head. "Tony's doing great, he's an amazing dad and uncle to all of us."

She could feel him smile next to her and put down the second bouquet she'd brought. "Hopefully you'll like these flowers, Maria. I doubt Howard cares about them." 

Tony's grin widened.

"I hope you're all happy up there and obviously watching us." Lucy stocked but she wanted to say this one thing. "Grandma, if you're listening as well - I promise that we'll do everything to keep your legacy going. Shield is running pretty smoothly now and hopefully, I'll be able to become an agent in a few years. Nat says she's got high hopes."

Steve put an arm on her shoulder again and after another goodbye, the three walked back to the car where Happy was patiently waiting and, thankfully, left the heating on.

The drive back to the tower was quick as even New York traffic seemed to slow down on cold and snowy Saturdays.

When the elevator arrived on the common floor, Lucy was greeting with an enthusiastic "Happy Birthday" and decorations in the purple, red and black scheme she'd picked out the day before. Her mouth stood open. She should've known that a small party at the tower would mean something different than what normal people would consider one.

Nat walked towards her. "I hope you're not upset that we got a little crazy with it but once Wanda and Pepper started, they were unstoppable."

A big smile spread on Lucy's face and she flung her arms around the older woman. "It's amazing!"

"I'm glad," the red head smiled. "There's some guests that haven't said hi yet."

Lucy threw her a questioning look but Nat only pushed her towards the sofa where the girl saw who was waiting.

"Phil!" she exclaimed and ran towards the agent who caught her in his arms.

"Happy birthday, Lucy," he smiled at her. "I can't believe you're so grown up now. It seems like yesterday when you were running around the office with Peggy."

Lucy frowned. "Yeah, I'm not gonna get around the embarrassing baby stories today, am I?"

Phil only shook his head in response.

"Awesome, I got a few," Clint called over but became silent quickly after Lucy threw him a venomous look.

Another person emerged from behind Phil and Lucy threw herself into her arms as well.

"Your sweet sixteen… remember how we were imagining this when you were a kid?"

"It seemed so far in the future back then," Lucy pulled back to smile at Sharon.

Her second cousin grinned. "And now it's here. Don't you wait, time's gonna go by faster and faster. Before you know it, you'll be 21."

"Don't scare me!" Lucy laughed and turned to the rest of the party people.

"I can't believe all of you came and prepared all this." She smiled at everyone. "Thank you, guys."

"Always for you," came Rhodey's enthusiastic reply that was echoed around the room.

Tony couldn't wait anymore and clapped his hand. "Onto the presents then."

Sharon ushered her towards the table while Lucy sported a confused expression.

"But I told you I didn't need anything."

"You really think we'd let your birthday go by without presents?" Tony gave her his signature look and Lucy wondered why she'd ever thought she'd get away with this.

Nat placed herself right next to her and she wondered if her mentor had an inkling that she might need moral support.

Tony and Pepper came forward first and handed her a small box, the genius sporting a devilish smile.

"This isn't something scary, is it?" Lucy asked hesitantly but Pepper reassured her.

The box wasn't heavy so Lucy unwrapped and opened it, revealing shiny, silver keys. Her mouth fell open and she looked back up at Tony and Pepper.

"Are you serious?" Tony and Pepper just nodded and Lucy jumped up and hugged both of them at the same time.

Tony looked incredibly satisfied. "It's a nice little Audi A5 convertible in Manhattan Grey. Pepper picked the color and it's perfect. You'll love it."

Lucy's eyes grew and before she could say what she was going to, Nat placed a hand on her arm. "What about if you drive Sharon home later?"

She nodded enthusiastically and thanked Pepper and Tony again who just waved her thanks away.

Steve and Sharon's present was next and it was a large rectangle wrapped in beautiful flowery paper.

Lucy pulled the bigger one out first and carefully unwrapped it. The last thing she wanted to seem was greedy.

When the large painting was revealed, her eyes almost watered and Nat next to her gasped in recognition. It was a picture of Peggy, back from the forties and looked quite old in itself. With incredulous eyes, Lucy turned to look at Sharon who smiled at her.

"It's from the original Shield facility in Camp Lehigh. We thought you might like it to have for yourself."

Lucy only nodded mutely and couldn't draw her eyes off the large canvas while Sharon put a calming hand on her shoulder.

She continued with the rest of the presents. Next up was Rhodey who handed her an envelope that Lucy tore open – again, carefully.

A large but disbelieving smile spread across her face. She turned to look at the Colonel who just nodded.

"This is amazing, thank you, thank you, thank you." She flung her arms around him and he caught her in his arms, laughing.

"I'm glad you're so ecstatic but we've gotta wait till the weather gets a bit better."

"What is it?" Peter couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

Lucy turned to him, smiling from ear to ear. "He's teaching me to fly a plane."

"Oh no." Steve sounded slightly scared but an elbow from Nat shut him up.

"That is awesome!" Wanda's eyes shone. "You're the youngest but the only one who can drive and soon also pilot."

"You know there's nothing keeping you from getting your driver's license?" Sam asked the witch.

She only shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't want to put Happy out of work."

The table erupted in laughter and Happy thanked the girl profusely.

Clint leaned over the table and extended his present as well. "Here you go. You said you had everything but I doubt you got this." 

Lucy had a very bad feeling at that but since Natasha didn't seem to worry, it wouldn't be awful.

She unwrapped the gift and revealed a thick photo album. Her bad feeling intensified.

"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

The Shield agent only grinned at her. "It's your sixteenth birthday. A little time travel is obligatory."

Lucy looked up at Nat, Phil and Sharon who all had apologetic expressions, confirming her suspicion that they were all involved in this.

"Actually, we might wanna relocate to the living room…" Clint suggested mischievously.

Lucy's stare only widened his grin.

"I thought printed pictures were too small so I decided to set them up in a nice slideshow. Onto the screening!"

She only shook her head but Sam picked her up and easily carried her to the sofas and sat her in between Nat and Sharon, while Clint stood next to the monitor.

He clicked and the first picture appeared that had everyone awing and owing. Lucy was only a few months old in it and she was crawling across a desk that had a few classified Shield files on it.

In the second, Lucy wasn't much older but she was standing up, in between Clint's legs who held her and apparently tried to teach her to walk.

"Did you actually teach me to walk?" Lucy asked astounded.

Clint pulled a face. "I wanna say it was me…"

"But it was just as much me," Phil interrupted.

"No wonder she's such a monkey then," Bruce laughed and everyone had to agree with him.

Clint quickly changed to the next picture. Lucy was a little older in it and reached toddler stage. She was in Natasha's arms and played with her curls, a bright smile on the baby face and Natasha looked comfortable but slightly bewildered.

Again, everyone burst out laughing.

"You're slightly more comfortable with me now, aren't you?" Lucy asked her mentor who grabbed her and pulled her into a side hug.

"Well, you stopped pulling my hair and I don't have to carry you anymore," Nat grinned.

The next picture that seemed to be from the same day as Lucy's outfit was still the same, had everyone falling off the sofas, laughing. Clint was lying in front of Coulson's desk who was sitting behind it and Lucy was standing on his back, reaching up to climb on the desk.

"Oh, I think I remember this day!" Phil suddenly exclaimed.

"Peggy came in and went, 'Thank god you're all here' and dumped Lucy on us. She had some meetings to attend and apparently you were getting so mobile that you would've just run off," he addressed Lucy.

"And you were so exhausted and quiet after spending the day with us, she insisted we should open a child care. The Strike Team Delta Daycare or something."

Clint and Nat cried out in recognition and everyone fell into new bursts of laughter.

"That's the best story I've heard in a while." Rhodey actually wiped away tears of joy.

Clint's eyes sparkled. "Oh, we're just getting started. Wait till we get to the story about the missing data report from when she was eight. That's a good one."

"Nooo!" Lucy yelled. "I actually remember that and you are not telling it!" 

"It's far too funny to keep to ourselves. It'd be unfair," Phil grinned and Lucy just gave up the fight.

She snuggled in between Nat and Sharon and laughed along with the others at Clint, Nat, Phil and Sharon's stories of her childhood. They were reminders of a happy time and unlike last year, when she thought that time was over, she knew she was living it again. Yes, her grandma was missing but the time that morning at her grave had given her confirmation once more that Peggy was always watching her and that she was happy to see her content and cared for. And loved, she reminded herself and she pressed against Natasha who tightened her arm. Loved.


	9. Christmas comes but once a year

Christmas comes but once a year

The last notes of the carol sounded in the body of the church before silence settled again and the reverend stepped up to the altar. With a few more words on the importance of peace on Christmas and another blessing, he sent the congregation forth.

As the lights were turned on again, everyone started packing up and Wanda who'd been sitting next to Lucy stretched her arms and legs.

"That was a good idea," Steve remarked satisfied.

"Lucy has them from time to time," Peter grinned.

Lucy only rolled her eyes. "More often than you."

"Hey, didn't you hear? Peace on Christmas!" May interrupted the bickering and Pepper nodded in support and ushered the entire family out.

Lucy didn't go to church regularly but Christmas had always been a staple, especially when she was alone in school during that time of year after her grandmother had gotten sick. Most at the tower weren't hard to convince and Lucy's persistence paid off so that everyone, even May who was visiting over the holidays, joined in.

The air was freezing when they stepped out of St. James's onto Madison Avenue and Nat out an arm around Lucy's shoulder as they walked back towards the tower. She couldn't remember ever having a better Advent time than this year. Right after her birthday, they'd put up a huge Christmas tree on the common floor and everyone was allowed to help decorate it. Not everyone, Lucy corrected herself, Pepper had put a stop to Clint and Tony's initiative to put little self-exploding sparklers on due to fire hazards. Lucy thought it was a great idea but Pepper was definitely the authority in the tower. At least they were allowed some unconventional decorations. Sam had lifted Lucy high up to put some little arrows and feathers to even the highest branches and right underneath the star sat a bauble with the Avengers' A on it. Every other floor also had their own smaller tree and each resident was left to decorate it themselves – within Pepper's fire regulations of course. Nat and Lucy had decided on a black and red theme with some gold in it, but at Clint's urging they'd also put some purple up.

All three kids were excited at their first Christmas at the tower and the service on Christmas Eve had been the perfect way to start into the celebrations. When they got back to the tower, everyone gathered in the living room with large cups of hot chocolate and told their favorite Christmas stories, whether fictional or real. It gotten quite late but the kids went to bed voluntarily before midnight so that they wouldn't be too tired the next morning to open the presents that were already lying underneath the tree.

Lucy fell asleep that night, smiling because she knew that this Christmas would be special and Nat who came in to wish her a good night felt confident that she'd make it better than even Lucy could imagine.

The next morning, Lucy woke without an alarm or Natasha coming in to get her, so she got up, wearing her favorite pajamas and grabbed an envelope. Supposing right, she saw her mentor sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee, also still wearing her sweatpants and night t-shirt, a large shirt that she'd stolen from Clint. Lucy grinned as she walked in and Nat got up to hug her protégé tight.

"Merry Christmas, Lucy," she said as the two detached.

Lucy beamed. "Merry Christmas! I can't believe it's here already."

Nat shook her head. "Me neither. Although we're both up too early. We're not supposed to be downstairs for another forty minutes."

The girl looked at the clock and was surprised that she'd actually woken up before nine in the morning without prompting. It must've been the excitement.

"That's actually quite helpful, I've got something for you to read." She extended her hand with the envelope addressed to her guardian who reciprocated the smile.

"That fits well, because I've also got something." Nat handed Lucy a similar envelope and both sat down on the sofa, opened and read them.

Lucy's eyes flew over the pages and she felt tears forming in her eyes as she took in the words Natasha had written.

_Dear __Птичка__,_

_There are so many things I want to tell you and I doubt I can do all of them justice in just this one letter but I'll try._

_It has been six months since you came to us and these six months have been the best of my life. I don't know how things came together the way they did but I'm grateful either way. _

_I've told you before, I never expected to become anything close to a mother ever in my life. It used to be solely missions and the team I found within Shield and after the Avengers formed and we became our little family, I thought this would surely be as far as life would take me. I could not have been more wrong. _

_Ever since you were a little girl I was amazed at your intelligence, courage and curiosity. Even back then I had high hopes for you but I never imagined that I would ever be able to help you fulfil your potential. You are an exceptional young woman and there is so much of your grandmother in you. Every day I see a part of her in what you say, what you do or even in the way you brush your hair out of your face. _

_I never told you this before and I'm not sure if you know this, but I came to Shield just before your grandmother retired. The last mission she authorized as director sent Clint to Budapest to eliminate an assassin that was determined to be a threat to Shield - you know where I'm going with this. Clint made a different call and brought me in instead but Peggy still had to sign off on his report. I asked myself for quite some time why she decided to do it and why she'd sent Clint in the first place. He'd always had a tendency to go about things his own way, especially when he thought a life is worth saving. When I finally went to her about it, she just smiled. She didn't want Clint to eliminate me, she knew he wouldn't do it, but she wanted me to be a part of Shield. Peggy believed in me, she gave me a second chance and even after she retired, she kept supporting me. Entrusting you in Coulson, Clint and my care is probably one of the greatest shows of confidence, especially at an age when you were even more impulsive than now! _

_But that leads me to believe that Peggy would be happy with our arrangement now. I know you want to make her proud and I promise you that you do so every single day. I never thought I'd be able to repay her for all that she did for me and just like you, I try to live up to her example every day. You finding your way back to us and giving me the chance to continue what we'd started when you were a kid hopefully will also make Peggy proud – of both of us._

_I don't know if what I do is right, if I'm actually parenting you well but I can see a huge difference in the girl you were in July compared to the one you are now. You learned to be happy again, you became comfortable with us and you found your place in our family. That's everything I wanted to achieve and the fact that it happened must mean that we were doing something right._

_There is also a difference, more specifically an improvement in your conduct and behavior and the choices you make. You are still impulsive and you wouldn't be Lucy if you weren't, but you have much better control over your emotions and actions and I know you will continue to work and learn._

_I'm so, so proud of your choices, especially recently. There have been instances where you had to make a hard call but you've made the right one and shown us that we can trust you. You've become mature and responsible and you worked hard for that. I know it's not always easy but you've proven yourself over and over again and you continue to do so every day, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in bigger ones. _

_Parenting you isn't very hard - it's mostly just walking by your side and now and then giving you a slight push in the right direction. You have a good moral compass and you know what is right and wrong and I continue to be amazed at your maturity. Even when you need that push, you understand quickly and correct your behavior. That's all I wish from you and you follow easily._

_I know things are difficult sometimes and, believe me, when I say that punishing you isn't one of the great parts of being a parent. But I think you understand that it's necessary because you are quick to accept the consequences for your actions. I want to know that whatever you do, even when I'm disappointed or angry with you, I always love you and care for you deeply. There's nothing you could do or say that would make me give up on you. No matter your actions, I'll always be there to guide you back to the right path. _

_I know I can be strict, more so than Tony is with Peter and maybe even more than Steve with Wanda, but I know that you can live up to my expectations. If they weren't as high, I doubt you would feel challenged at all and get bored pretty quickly - and we know where you being bored leads to. I would never ask more of you than you can handle and you have so far always exceeded my expectations, which makes me incredibly proud, as a mentor and as a parent. _

_You stand up for the people you care about, you are honest and you are incredibly courageous. A lot of this was engrained in you by Peggy and Zora but I've seen a change in you from July so I hope some of it is attributable to my parenting. Whether it's in school, during training, at the tower or on a mission, you live all the values I could ever want you to take on._

_Being a parent is a constant struggle between wanting to let you make your own mistakes and learn from them and on the other hand wanting to shield you from as much as possible and keep you out of harm's way by preventing whatever could happen. Finding the right mixture isn't easy and I hope every day that I'm making the right choice. I'm incredibly happy though that you feel comfortable enough to come and talk to me about things that bother you and I hope you'll continue to do so. One of the successes is when I don't have to make the decision but you decide on the right path yourself - even if it means coming to me for guidance._

_The best part about being a parent is seeing you happy; in the tower with Peter and Wanda, on stage during a concert, during training when you managed a harder workout than usual or when you finished an experiment with Tony. It's in those moments when your eyes light up and you genuinely smile that I know that you're content and safe and in a good place. I'm glad that these moments happen more and more often now and I'll do everything in my power to increase them. I know life hasn't been easy on you, especially during the past year, and you deserve to have a safe and stable home and I promise that I'll provide it for as long as you need it. _

_Love, Nat_

She took a deep breath as she finished and looked up to Natasha who had the same mist in her eyes. Without exchanging any words, the two fell into each other's arms and just reveled in the comfort. Lucy had never thought any of this was possible and even if she was much more comfortable, there had always been a little doubt in her mind that she wasn't completely settled. That there could be some doubt about her status. Reading Nat's words and recognizing just how important every single one was, filled her with a kind of happiness that she hadn't felt ever before.

###

When Lucy handed her the letter, Nat wasn't surprised that they had both thought of the idea. She opened it eagerly to see what her protégé might have to say and quickly, she felt the uncharacteristic tears again that only Lucy seemed to be able to generate.

_Dear Nat,_

_I was thinking how I wanted to start this letter because there are so many things I need to tell you but I don't want this to become an incoherent ramble. _

_What's most important is probably that I want you to know that I'm truly happy and I hope you are too. After grandma died, I didn't think I'd ever be completely happy again. Not in the way that people say it when something bad happens but deep down they know they'll be fine. I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life and in some way, I'd actually made peace with that. I resigned myself to leading RI in the future and just making sure I'd get through school and college somehow unscathed. If Tony managed, then so could I, although I never thought I'd be as much a hero. I wasn't scared but I knew that I was going down a lonely and possibly quite dangerous road. _

_When Steve turned up that day in Columbia, I couldn't believe it. Even when I got used to the fact that it was real, I thought it was at most going to be a training thing, some lab work and a partnership of convenience, like everything else in my life, because Shield didn't want me unsupervised with a suit in the city. But when I saw you and Clint again and got to know Peter and Wanda, I had a slight hope that it would become more. I suppressed it because whenever I hoped for something, it wouldn't come true. But that summer was the best month since grandma died and when you asked me to move in, I couldn't believe my luck. I still didn't think we would ever become more than a normal mentor relationship, partly because I was afraid that if I let myself get close to someone, it'd hurt when they leave, like grandma. _

_But you were always there. No matter what happened, whether it was something great, like my first mission, or one of stupid impulsive ideas, like taking a car for a Joyride in Malibu, you were always right there and you helped keep me straight. I couldn't believe you didn't think of getting rid of me, but I came to trust that you really wanted me around. I think part of me didn't like that though, because I've managed alone, with my own rules for so long, so I couldn't understand why I was suddenly so content with someone just imposing them. That's why I moved out, and it was honestly the stupidest decision I'd made that year. _

_Wanda said when I moved in that being at the tower helped heal the heart because you didn't need to fight on your own anymore. It's true. There are so many people around me that support me and in the few months I've been here, my heart healed more than in all the time before. But when I went back to school, that wound grew again. I missed the tower and especially you. I missed us just watching movies and hanging out and I missed your disapproving looks and no-nonsense talks. I didn't want to admit it but I'd come to rely on you. I didn't want it to be true but it's not a bad thing - you care about me and want me to make the right choices and that's more than anyone ever did for me. _

_After I came back and you actually took me in again, I could finally accept that there was no way that I could antagonize you so much that you'd give up on me. I know you don't believe it but you're really patient - if I had to parent myself, I'd probably start yelling every other day. You never do that. I'm not even sure if it's a good thing because your disappointed face is much harder to take but I think I'm getting better at avoiding it. _

_I want to thank you for caring enough to stop my self-destructive tendencies. I know I have them, there's no point denying that, and I really think something bad could've happened had you and everyone else at the tower not stepped in. I might not be a fan of your lessons sometimes but it's undeniable that I'm much better than I used to be a few months back._

_You may have some doubts if you can handle me or parent me right, but I don't. I'm happier and more balanced than I've been in years and it's your accomplishment. You might not have much training (though I think dealing with Clint for so long was probably quite useful in that respect) but you're the best mom I could've ever wished for. My real mother never cared, and neither did my dad, and although I knew I shouldn't care because it wasn't my fault, it was this little black stain in the back of my mind. It's not there anymore. Whenever parents and mothers come up, my mind doesn't go to me crappy biological ones but I automatically think of you. I know you never expected this to happen but I hope you're happy with that idea. It wasn't a conscious decision, but it slowly crept into my mind and I only realized it recently. _

_I want to make you proud, in every way possible. Whether it's training, Shield, school or my behavior and my morals, I want you to feel happy and proud whenever you look at or think of me. It's hard and I know that I make huge mistakes sometimes but I now know that you care enough to correct me. Even if I might hate it, I'm thankful for everything, knowing you won't give up on me. I can see so much improvement in myself already that I never thought possible. _

_It's been about six months and, in some ways, it feels so much longer. Sometimes it seems things have never been any different but some days I still pinch myself, wondering if all this is actually real. _

_I've been going all through my life, hoping that grandma would be proud of the person I'm becoming. I know that she's looking down on us now, smiling and happy for both of us. She'd love your rules and everything you do for me, I know that much. Grandma was always big on responsibility and integrity and she knew that you'd be the best to teach me. That's why she left me in your care so many times when I was young and I know she's looking down on us, ecstatic at the way we found each other again. It's strange having someone again who actually cares about your actions although sometimes it would be easier not to have to answer to you. You can be strict, sometimes even more so than Steve, and you have high expectations for me, but I would never seriously complain about it. With your help and motivation, I've already exceeded any hopes I had for myself and I know that I can go even further. Things might be difficult but there is no way that I would ever want anything different. You understand me in a way no one else seems to and I'm excited for what the future holds for us. _

_Lots of love, __Птичка_

When Lucy fell around her neck, Natasha tightly held onto her, as if to prove that her words were definitely true. Her protégé's letter soothed something inside of her that she'd been trying to suppress. The anxiety and even panic that while Lucy seemed okay, she might be doing something completely wrong. After all, she had no reference point whatsoever as to what a good parent might be.

Lucy sniffled a little as she pulled away and looked directly into Nat's eyes.

"I know this sounds cliché but this is the best Christmas present I could've gotten." The girl smiled. "A family."

Nat took her by the shoulder and gave her a serious look. "And we'll always be here, I promise you that."

A glance to the clock confirmed that the others should be up by now too, so the two got up and made their way down to the common floor where everyone was gathering as they walked in, Clint looking incredibly disheveled but also excited like a puppy while Rhodey looked as put together as always – Lucy didn't know how he managed.

Everyone sat around the Christmas tree and they handed out the presents. Lucy grabbed Nat's and pressed it into her hands, throwing a glance to Wanda who was as excited as herself.

Nat carefully unwrapped the box and first took out the water bottle, then the T-Shirt and finally the hoodie. Her eyes grew and she slid off the sofa to give Lucy a hug, whispering in her ear that she loved it. Lucy in turn was very satisfied in her ability to shop for presents and also threw Wanda a thankful glance since the other girl had majorly backed her in her decision.

All the adults were very happy with the gifts the kids had chosen and Tony wanted to immediately inflate the chair shaped as an Iron Man helmet that Peter had gotten him but May and Pepper were the voices of reason once again. The entire tower was thankful Pepper had support during this time because any holiday made the Avengers into little children again. Not that Lucy was complaining – this was her family and it wouldn't be the same, had they a completely normal Christmas.

After everyone had unwrapped and appreciated their presents, they sat down for a huge breakfast, with waffles, pancakes, eggs and everything anyone could possibly wish for. Peter alone probably ate about six full plates and so did Bruce and Steve – their metabolisms were unmatched.

Pepper and May suggested an after-brunch walk through central park and everyone joined in. It wasn't hard to convince anyone because the snow gave New York the appearance of a fairytale, especially on Christmas Day. Lucy put on her new necklace she'd gotten from Natasha that was in the same style as the bracelet she received for her birthday and also pulled a Shield hoodie, a present from Coulson, over her dress, because while winter was beautiful, it was also freezing.

Lucy was quite introspective as they walked through the soft snow. Peter was walking ahead with May, telling her about all the exciting things that had happened during Christmas and Steve kicked back a little, reminiscing with Bruce about Christmases past. The year almost came to a close, it was only a week until New Year's and this year had been one big rollercoaster for her. In the beginning, when her grandmother passed and she heard about the splitting of the Avengers, Lucy didn't think she'd ever be happy again. She made peace with the idea that she would live her life in a state of at most dubious contention with what she had, but always feeling this little stitch in her heart. It didn't get better in the months after and she resigned herself to that state. Steve entering her life and bringing her back to the tower was a high, she'd never thought possible and it just kept growing and growing. In some ways, Lucy was afraid, since the higher she'd get, the further she could fall, but the past few months had proven to her time and time again that there was a safety net. She wouldn't crash and burn, she had so many people around her that did everything in their power to prevent it from happening. It felt good, safe and comfortable. Lucy ended this year on a positive note, more so than many years before and it was all due to her newfound family. She grinned and took a few large strides to catch up with Wanda who was walking up next to Nat and Sam. The girls linked arms and smiled at each other. If the next year started like this one ended, things would be good.


	10. Witch Fight

Witch Fight

"I honestly doubt he'd even wanna come but sure, whatever, give him an invitation."

Lucy hadn't been able to get out of Politics quick enough and was cornered by Olivia and her gang. They were doing their annual New Year's party and apparently preparing the guest list. Lucy was obviously on it, but they wanted her opinion on inviting Peter. She didn't know how he did it but especially the girls seemed to be doting on him – it must have something to do with his puppy looks. He'd settled in Columbia better than Wanda. Not that the other girl cared, she was quite happy just being there with her family and it wasn't that any of them actually had friends in the school besides their own trio.

She shrugged her shoulders again. "If you really want him to come, I can convince him."

Olivia smiled gracefully but Jane's eyes grew and she nodded enthusiastically, with a dumb smile on her face.

"Oh, if you could do that, it'd be great! We really wanna have him there and –" Catching Olivia's look, Jane stopped babbling and contended with just the dense smile.

The ringleader turned to Lucy with a smile that anyone not having been to school with her for nine years would think sweet. Lucy wasn't fooled – Olivia was being about as fake as Kylie Jenner's lips.

"I'm really sorry, but Peter fills all the spots."

Lucy had to admire her, she was a great actress. But then – they'd all been trained since the moment they could walk in the art of superficiality and intrigue.

"We can't invite Wanda." Olivia seemed so genuinely sorry, Lucy almost believed her.

She only smiled tiredly. "You can be honest with me, Liv. I know why you don't want to invite her."

Olivia swallowed but didn't lose her composure. "Well, you've got to understand us. She's not exactly... one of us, is she?"

Lucy shrugged and Tabetha continued.

"She's just weird, you know? Being from that dingy place in Europe, I'm amazed she can actually read."

"She did have to catch up in the beginning of the year to join our classes, so who knows," Jane chimed in.

You're one to talk, Lucy thought. She wasn't sure how that girl made it into an academic school like Columbia, but it was probably due to green paper. Lots of it.

"That girl isn't normal, and I know she's your friend and living with you or whatever," Olivia went back to her apologetic business voice that banished any emotion. Lucy could definitely recognize her own mother in the girl's mannerisms.

"But we just can't have her at our party. Peter is normal but she's been here for months and she's only gotten weirder."

"I heard she used to be a guinea pig for some scientist during the Cold War," Jane thought necessary to add.

Lucy only shook her head in resignation. "Do you know when the Cold War happened, Jane?"

Olivia sighed. "Anyway, we don't wanna have weirdos at our party and I highly doubt she'd know how to hold a Merlot glass properly."

Lucy grinned while the others started snickering.

"Give Peter his invitation and RSVP by Thursday," Olivia finished before giving Lucy a friendly hug and walking off, with her gang in tow.

###

Wanda was about to walk up to Lucy when she saw that the other girl was cornered by Olivia and her superficial friends. She snorted. None of them liked the girls at Columbia and she couldn't really understand why Lucy was even talking to them. But she hadn't grown up on the Upper East Side so she assumed there were customs she just wouldn't get behind – ever.

When she got a little closer, she could make out the topic of the conversation – the stupid New Year's party. Another thing she didn't understand. Why were all the girls here so obsessed with throwing fancy parties, masque balls and stuff like that? She was stunned when she realized that they were inviting Peter. Maybe the others were actually about to take a few steps towards people like her, but her optimism was cut short when she heard Olivia continue. Wanda didn't really let her talk get to her, but she was waiting for Lucy's defense of her. When the other girl didn't say anything, but Wanda instead saw her grinning with Olivia, she had enough. She knew she shouldn't let this gossip get to her, she had no desire to go to Olivia Waldorf's ridiculous party anyway. But she thought she'd arrived at this school, on the UES and in New York but she again felt so betrayed. With a huff she turned, waiting for Happy to pick them up in front of the school. She knew Lucy wouldn't understand but if she didn't even think it necessary to stand up for her family, then Wanda couldn't help that stupidity.

###

Peter had been surprised when Lucy gave him his invitation, but she could tell it stroked his ego to be considered by Olivia Waldorf and her friends.

Lucy explained the party situation to Nat in rational, calm terms – she really didn't want to have a repeat of the situation back in October – and didn't take permission to go for granted. They had a mini conference with Tony and Peter and Lucy told them how important the party was to her in terms of the Upper East side social standing and Tony supported her. Peter also seemed eager to have his first high-class high school party and Tony seemed more comfortable with him attending in Lucy's presence – she'd been to these kinds of get-togethers countless times. When Nat threw her a long, probing look, Lucy held her gaze until the older woman nodded.

"Alright. You can go, but there's some ground rules."

Lucy hadn't expected anything else and continued to look at Nat with a serious expression. Her mentor threw a glance at Tony who nodded so she continued, eyeing both teenagers sternly.

"You can stay until 1am, then we'll have Happy pick you up, no later."

Lucy and Peter nodded and Natasha's face relaxed a little.

"You can have a drink but that's it. I don't want either of you to get drunk or anything worse than that."

Peter's eyes grew and Lucy couldn't believe her ears either. "We're allowed to drink?" 

Tony smiled. "Don't you think I know how these parties go? Completely forbidding alcohol wouldn't work and both of you have been pretty good in the past few months. So, we're putting our trust in you and allowing you one. Don't push it."

The kids looked at each other and smiled.

After their conversation, it was already dinner time and when the four got to the dining room, the others were already present and Sam and Bruce were carrying pots out of the kitchen. In that moment, Pepper strolled in from the elevator, taking her heels off as she walked in and Tony got up to greet her and give her a quick kiss.

Dinner was normal, except Wanda seemed more on edge than usual. Lucy threw her some concerned glances but the other girl evaded her gaze every time. Even Peter who was usually pretty oblivious to these things noticed her behavior.

He frowned. "Are you ok, Wanda?"

She looked up in surprise and just nodded.

"You're not upset that you didn't get invited to the party, are you?" Steve asked concerned.

"They were gonna invite you, but all the spaces had been filled," Lucy tried to console her before the witch could respond. "I didn't think you'd wanna go anyway."

Wanda finally looked at her but with dangerously sparkling eyes. "No, it's fine. You're right, I wouldn't wanna go, these parties are full of snakes."

Lucy just stared at her in confusion, but the redhead didn't avert her eyes and stared back. After moment, she just shrugged her shoulders and sighed. If Wanda didn't wanna say what was wrong, she couldn't help her.

Peter's eyes darted back and forth between the two girls and even he could feel the tension brewing. Staying out of it was the best call – he really didn't wanna be caught in between the lines with these two – and quickly started a conversation with Bruce.

The adults looked at each other but in unspoken disagreement decided not to intervene. This was the girls' issue and as long as they didn't break any rules, they could sort it out themselves.

###

Lucy couldn't understand Wanda. The young witch had never been passive-aggressive, but it suddenly felt like a switch flicked and she couldn't use any other way of communication – with Lucy that was. She was fine with everyone else except Lucy. She wasn't a genius for nothing, she realized that Wanda had a problem with her but every attempt at talking to the girl led nowhere. She blocked her completely and so Lucy just gave up and dealt with it. Steve seemed slightly concerned but, thankfully, all adults stayed out of it.

A few days and incidents later, the morning of the party and Lucy was in the kitchen trying her newest recipe. She loved baking as much as Wanda loved cooking, but it was harder to concentrate with Wanda around, angry at her for some reason.

Skimming the recipe again, Lucy hummed softly.

"Could someone pass me the sugar, please," she asked no one in particular.

A jar with white powder was handed to her and she grabbed it. Sinking the cup into it, she added it to the eggs and mixed it together. Lucy tested the mixture and almost spit it out immediately.

She spun around and angrily glared at Wanda who gave her a perfectly innocent look back.

"That was salt," Lucy snapped and everyone else in the kitchen became silent. "What is your problem?"

Wanda kept glaring back and didn't say anything. Lucy could feel her temper rise and was close to throwing the unfinished dough on the floor when Wanda finally opened her mouth and exploded.

"Why would you care about a weirdo?"

Lucy stared at her on confusion. "What is wrong with you?"

Wanda huffed angrily. "Oh, you know, I didn't think it mattered to you, since I can't _hold a Merlot glass properly_." She said the last part in a high-pitched voice, a pretty good exaggeration of Olivia's usual tone.

With a sinking feeling Lucy realized what Wanda was so angry about but she still couldn't understand her. 

"Geez, that's what's been bothering you?" She shook her head. "That's just Olivia, you know she's an idiot."

"But I didn't see my _teammate_ stepping up for me," Wanda spat back and her tone of voice only hardened Lucy's stance. It wasn't her problem that the other girl didn't understand the Upper East Side.

"I have to be nice to her, she's a future business partner and I need to be civil." Her voice was raised but she still had it under control.

Wanda pulled a face. "Right and being civil includes selling out your family."

"Oh please, you're being dramatic! I didn't do that!"

"You grinned!"

Now the two were actually yelling. Steve was about to step forward, in between the girls, but Nat and Pepper held him back.

"That's something the two need to work out themselves," Pepper whispered to him.

Lucy threw her arms up. "It's not a big deal! Have you never seen Gossip Girl?"

"No, I haven't," Wanda snapped. "And it's a big deal for me."

As she responded, Lucy couldn't hide sarcastic tone in her voice. "I didn't know you had such sensitive feelings."

Wanda's breathing got heavier and her mouth formed a thin line. She turned, stormed out the kitchen and slammed the entrance door on her way to the elevator.

Lucy held her head up and as soon as she heard the elevator door close, she also left the floor.

After both girls had exited the kitchen, Nat dared to breathe again.

"Well, at least we now know why Wanda has been so off the past couple of days," Pepper said after a long pause.

Steve frowned, clearly upset that the women didn't let him intervene. "Are you sure we should just let it go on? I mean this seems like a misunderstanding and it's really not that serious –"

"It is to them, Steve," Pepper interrupted him. "They're teenagers, some things are just a bigger deal to them than to us."

Nat nodded in agreement. "I can't exactly say I was ever able to be a real teenager, but this seems familiar. We've gotta let them work it out. You're gonna go more damage than good."

Steve nodded in resignation, but he really didn't like his family fighting. The airport fight was almost exactly a year ago and ever since he'd come back, he was trying to keep the tower as harmonious as possible. The girls' argument seemed silly but then – didn't all great conflicts start with a small incident?

The women went back to preparing dinner and so did Steve, deciding to ban all dark, looming thoughts from his mind. The girls would work it out, he knew it. They were Avengers after all.

###

Lucy didn't understand the girls in Columbia. If you had asked any of them whether they'd ever even consider a guy from Queens, they'd laughed in your face. Lucy knew Olivia's attitude and one specific guy rom Brooklyn a few parties ago that Olivia said she wouldn't be around without a tetanus shot. Not that Lucy echoed these sentiments – just the thought of Nat and Steve's reactions made her cringe. He would probably be unable to believe his ears and she was pretty sure she'd earn a slap from Nat.

But it was true – there was a definite hierarchy in the borrows of NYC and the Upper East Side stood firmly at the top. Apparently, the girls decided that Peter was indoctrinated enough to become one of them. As soon as Lucy had led him to the Waldorf's penthouse – not without reminding him countless times of how he was supposed to behave – the girls in their year gathered around him, _cooing_, and led him to a bunch of sofas. Lucy shook her head and made her way to the bar. She might as well use her allotted drink allowance immediately.

As she ordered a Red Russian, she felt Olivia slid up next to her and place a collegial hand on her shoulder.

"Interesting choice. I see you're ordering the Russian but didn't bring her."

Lucy sighed. "She's Sokovian."

"Yeah, whatever," Olivia waved to the bartender. "I'm glad you didn't decide to do anything stupid."

"I would never." Lucy's sweet, fake, casual voice still worked. Since living at the tower, she didn't need to employ it on a daily basis anymore, so she'd worried that it might've gotten a little rusty. It hadn't; something engrained since childhood seemed to stay with you forever.

"I remember very well what happened at the soiree in June with Millicent and Barbara."

Olivia pulled a face. "Oh, that was horrendous." She threw a casual glance to the sofas where a bunch of girls where gathered around Peter, including dumb Jane. "Seems he's fitting in well."

Lucy threw the other girl a serious but slightly amused glance. "You can't tell me you actually like him. Normally, you wouldn't be caught dead around someone like him. You barely make it to the West Side."

Olivia looked back at her with measured countenance, judging whether Lucy would use any material she trusted her with in intrigue. It was useless though, Lucy had never taken any other part than observer in their little games – she was too busy. Olivia seemed to recognize it, so she sighed, grabbing her Martini from the bartender and taking a long sip.

"I don't want to, you know what I think about _Queens_." She actually managed to make it sound like an insult. "But I can't deny that there's a certain level of… mystical attraction."

Lucy looked back to Peter and turned to Olivia again, with a skeptical look on her face. The older girl smiled generously but slightly unbelieving – as if she couldn't believe her own feelings.

"You don't see it, because you're living with him. He's just your annoying roommate."

Lucy sighed but admitted that Olivia was probably right. On top of that, she also didn't have time for these kinds of thoughts. The girls grabbed their drinks and made their way to the others.

The night passed quickly and Lucy didn't want to risk anything so she got Peter out of the clutches of the girls at ten to one and they were downstairs and picked up by Happy right on time. He smiled back at them as they climbed into the car.

"You guys had fun?"

Peter's eyes shone. "It was really cool… but kinda scary." He turned to Lucy. "This is what you've been doing your whole life?" 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "The alcohol didn't enter until high school, but yeah, same energy."

They got to the tower pretty quickly and Happy wished them a good night but not before reminding them that they should be quiet on the way up since everyone else was already asleep.

Not everyone that was. When Lucy entered her floor, she could hear Nat in the living room, so she joined her there. The spy was sitting on the sofas and smiled at her when she walked in.

"How was it?"

Lucy dropped down next to her with a sigh. "Pretty good. Every girl in my year is all over Peter but I don't get it."

Nat just giggled. "What drink did you have?"

"Red Russian, of course," Lucy grinned and her mentor laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

###

Wanda didn't calm down and Lucy was far too stubborn to be the bigger person, so tensions only grew. Peter wisely avoided both of them, scared to be caught in the crossfire, and so were Tony, Bruce, Happy and Clint.

Little incidents got blown into full-scale arguments, Wanda was passive-aggressive and Lucy pretended nothing was wrong. The following week was strenuous on everyone but Nat and Pepper were still convinced keeping out of the girl's business was the right way to go and May supported their decision over the phone. Nothing seemed to change over these days, the tension gradually became stronger, but no real conclusion came.

The girls were in the training room with Nat, Sam and Rhodey, while Peter was working in the lab with Bruce who finally had a free slot in his calendar and no choice but to give in to the pestering teen – not that he minded. Peter's work was a lot more lighthearted than the other projects Bruce had going on.

Lucy didn't wear complete armor but one of the thin suits she'd been working on that allowed her to utilize more of her fight training but still included blasters and bullet protection.

The adults put Lucy and Wanda together to fight against Nat and Sam while Rhodey was supervising their movement. Even though the two girls still weren't on good terms, teamwork was so engrained by now, they didn't need words to communicate. Back to back, Lucy was firing blaster shots at whoever came closest while Wanda did her magic and waved her hands towards the other team.

Suddenly, Lucy saw a flash of red, barely an inch from her face. She spun around to face Wanda.

"You're not supposed to go this way! You know how close that went by my face?"

Wanda just stared at her with a hard, blank face. "Whoops. I guess I just confused the direction."

"Are you crazy?" Lucy took a step towards the witch and pushed her with both hands.

She narrowed her eyes didn't move. "It was an accident."

Lucy snorted. "Yeah, as if I'm gonna believe that. You've been pissed at me for days. Just get over it."

Before Wanda could reply, Rhodey stepped up to them while Nat and Sam made their way over from the other side of the room.

"Both of you, stop it right now. Down here isn't the right place to discuss this."

"But apparently it's the right place to attack me," Lucy responded without taking her eyes of Wanda who narrowed her own eyes and struck out at the blonde girl.

Lucy wasn't prepared for this sudden attack, but she'd been training long enough that she didn't need to think about her response – it came as a reflex. She blocked Wanda's arm and struck out herself, landing a punch on Wanda's shoulder that sent the other girl tumbling back. The redhead caught herself quickly though and as Lucy stepped up to her, she took an offensive stand and moved her hands in the familiar motion. Lucy narrowed her eyes and before Wanda could throw her magic towards her, she kicked the other girl's feet. Wanda was probably expecting that move though as she easily overturned and got back to her feet, now making her way forward quickly and landing a square punch on Lucy chest. There must've been some magic mixed in with the punch because normally, Wanda wasn't strong enough to land a hit this hard. It hurt, but not as much as the betrayal that this fight was happening in the first place. Lucy decided she wouldn't hold back and raised her arm which caused Wanda to raise her hands as well. Before either girl could fire a shot and do serious damage, a stern, angered voice stopped them.

"Stop. Right now, both of you." Natasha walked towards them and as Lucy turned and looked into her eyes, she recognized something akin to fury in them. Nat had never been this angry. She stopped in right in front of them and glared down, both girls averting their gaze.

"You are completely out of line. This is a training room. You are not fighting each other."

Lucy didn't dare look up, but she could feel the disappointed looks from both Rhodey and Sam.

"Living room, both of you, _now_. And not another move, until I get Steve and join you." Nat's voice was clear and left no room for argument. Not that either girl felt they were in a position to argue anyway.

They scrambled up the stairs and sat on the sofas, heads sunk and not daring to look at each other. As soon as the adrenaline had left Lucy's body, she felt awful. She couldn't believe she'd so blatantly broken the training room rules – some of the most rigorous ones in the entire tower – and most importantly, she attacked Wanda. Lucy knew she had to apologize but she couldn't form any words. Her heart sinking, she also remembered Natasha's face. She wasn't scared of her mentor, but she knew she'd disappointed her gravely and consequences were looming.

They weren't left waiting for long. Soon, Natasha and Steve appeared in the door and their faces were foreboding. They sat on the sofa next to the girls and Nat started.

"Your actions down there were unacceptable. The training room rules are some of the most important ones we have in place and I can't believe you attacked each other. Infighting is completely deplorable."

Her words made Lucy feel even worse than before. She couldn't believe she let her fight with Wanda become physical and disregarded the rules so blatantly. What was even worse was the disappointment and the anger radiating off Nat and Steve. None of this was worth the fight with Wanda, in no way.

"We know the two of you have been arguing for some time but we though that you'd be mature enough to sort it out yourselves," Steve continued. His voice was low and serious. "Apparently we were wrong. You've taken this argument too far and we don't believe you can be trusted to deal with it yourselves."

His words hurt Lucy inside. Not because she disagreed, but because she knew they were true. Risking a glance up at Nat's eyes, she saw the sternness in them and gulped. Steve had a deep frown on his grave face, so Lucy just settled on looking down on her hands again.

She wasn't able to escape facing the adults for long though as Nat cleared her throat in the familiar way that Lucy knew by now and she used all her courage to force her eyes up at the two, as did Wanda.

Nat eyed them with hard eyes. "You will resolve your issues once and for all right now. I don't care how long it takes but you will stay in this room until you come to a conclusion. Is that understood?" 

It was probably the first time that Wanda heard Nat like this, in a non-training context, and Lucy could feel her flinch next to her. Both girls nodded and Steve and Natasha got up and left towards the dining area, closing the door behind them.

For the first minute, neither girl said a word. Lucy sighed. She knew they'd taken it too far and the original reason for the argument didn't seem worth any of the trouble they were in now.

"Wanda…" she started softly and the other girl jerked up and met her eyes. Lucy was surprised to see tears glistening in them.

"I'm sorry. I know you felt hurt that I didn't defend you." Lucy swallowed hard. "I couldn't see how important this was to you and I was also too proud to admit that I should have acted differently."

She sunk her head but suddenly she felt Wanda taking her hand into hers and sniffling.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I should've told you straight away and not been so stupidly passive-aggressive." She stocked and Lucy looked up. "I'm also sorry for attacking you. I don't understand how I could ever have been so crazy." 

Wanda sniffled and an errant tear made its way down her cheek. Lucy shuffled a little closer.

"I would never seriously hurt you, you need to believe me," the redhead almost pleaded. "You're my sister."

Lucy stared at her and couldn't keep her own emotions buried either. The girls flung their arms around each other's necks and just cried for a few minutes. It felt good getting rid of all the pent-up emotion that had been building up for days now.

As they pulled apart, Wanda gave her a soft smile.

"We're good?"

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "We're good." Remembering the reason why they were here though, her smile quickly vanished.

"We're really in for it tonight."

Wanda's eyes grew and her expression turned panicked. "Why do things always have to blow over before we finally realize that we were being stupid?"

Lucy only shrugged, her stomach sinking further and further. The other girl watched her carefully.

"Is Natasha always like this when you're in trouble?"

She nodded and Wanda raised her eyebrows.

"I have so much respect for you. She's even stricter than I thought… I'd never be able to survive than."

Lucy sighed heavily. "Believe me, I don't know how I get through it. But speaking of, we should probably tell them that we've resolved our issues."

Wanda turned pale but nodded bravely. Lucy got up, walked to the door and stuck her head out, locating their mentors in the dining room. With a quick call, they both got up from the table and came back into the living room.

Nat and Steve's faces had relaxed slightly but neither of the girls wanted to look at them for long.

"You finally talked everything out?"

Lucy knew Nat wouldn't be content with a simple nod – not at this point anymore – so she forced herself to look up.

"We realized how stupid we've been and that we should never have let our fight get this far." Lucy sighed and bit her lip. "We know fighting was wrong, not just because we broke the training room rules but…" She stocked and took a deep breath. "But because we could've seriously hurt each other and we can't do that. We're sisters."

Steve's stern expression turned into a gentle smile. "I'm very happy you both can finally see that. Believe me, it's not been easy seeing the two of you fight and not intervening because this was something you needed to handle yourselves."

"But it should never have gotten as far as physically fighting each other," Nat continued sternly and Lucy couldn't keep her head from sinking.

"Both of you upstairs to your rooms. We'll join you shortly."

Lucy didn't waste any time in scrambling up to her feet and making her way to the elevator, Wanda at her side. As it arrived on Steve's floor, the girls hugged and with a long look silently wished each other luck.

On her own floor, Lucy stepped out and slowly walked towards her room. Her stomach started to turn, now that everything with Wanda was finally settled and she could fully concentrate on what she had coming. Nat was furious and with good reason – the rules in the training room were strict because they used their powers and suits there and were able to inflict serious damage. Her almost attacking Wanda with her suit was one of the worst things Lucy could possibly have come up with and she didn't know how she could've ever taken the stand against her sister. With a sigh she threw herself onto her bed and buried her head in the pillow.

When she heard the knock on the door, she didn't respond or move but soon felt Natasha's hand stroking her back.

"Lucy?" Her mentor sounded gentle but Lucy wasn't fooled. Nat was disappointed in her and this wouldn't be pretty. Nevertheless, she knew there was no point in stalling the inevitable, so she sat up and faced Natasha.

"I don't know what came over me, I really don't," she started, wanting to get this out before Nat could say anything. "I'm sorry, I know how important the rules down there are. I can't believe we let this stupid fight escalate so far."

"Neither can I," Natasha said in a low voice, sounding so sad and disappointed that Lucy had to use all her self-discipline to hold her stern gaze.

"We thought you two were mature enough to settle this yourselves but we were wrong. Maybe we should've stepped in earlier to prevent this from happening."

Lucy's eyes grew and she shook her head vehemently. "No, you were right to hope that we'd work it out. I thought we could do it and I can't believe we were this childish. You could never have expected us to take our fight to the training room."

Nat looked at her sternly, with the gaze that seemed to cut threw Lucy. "I'm glad you recognize that."

She took a breath. "I think we've said everything. Unbutton your pants and over my knee." 

Lucy's stomach turned as she heard the familiar command although she'd been able to avoid spankings for months now. She didn't hesitate to comply with her mentor's order though and quickly found herself over Natasha's knee with her calming hand on her back.

As Nat pulled down her pants and panties in one fell swoop, Lucy buried her head in her arms. No warm-up meant she'd really messed up and as always, she yelped as the first swat took her by surprise. Natasha worked methodically, covering all of Lucy's bottom until it had an even red color. While at first it only stung a little in places, it soon became a constant sensation that added a burn each time her mentor's hand connected to Lucy's butt. After the second round, Lucy started sniffling and Nat stopped the spanking.

"Why are we here?"

Lucy hickuped slightly and tried to give her mentor a coherent answer.

"Because I broke the training room rules by fighting with Wanda and taking our fight down there."

"Correct," Natasha said gravely and Lucy could feel the disappointment in her eyes. "On top of that, Rhodey told you to stop but you didn't listen to him. You know one of the most important rules in the training room is to obey instantly."

Lucy's heart dropped. She hadn't even thought of that but it made her feel even worse if that was possible.

"The way you behave in training is an indication for us as to how you'll be out on a mission. We need to be able to trust you here if we are to let you come out with us."

Nat's words hit her hard and Lucy couldn't keep the tears from forming in her eyes. Her first mission had been everything she'd ever wanted and she would do anything to keep Natasha's trust.

"I'm sorry," she managed to respond with a quiver in her voice, full of yet to shed tears. "I swear it will never happen again, I promise. I'll do better."

She could feel Nat stroking her back in circles. "Thank you and I believe you will, because I know you can."

Lucy could feel her pressing on her back again and closed her eyes in anticipation of what was coming. When the ruler connected with her already stinging bottom, she couldn't help the small yell escaping. She knew from the second she'd seen the fury in Nat's eyes down in the training room that this would be happening.

Natasha covered her entire backside with the ruler and soon, Lucy couldn't help the tears escaping and she started crying earnestly. As Nat tipped her over and started aiming at her sit spots where she'd feel the punishment every time she sat down, Lucy buried her head deeper in her arms. It took longer than usual for her to completely submit to the punishment but Natasha knew she'd built up a lot of guilt and remorse that took more time to release. Finally, Lucy started sobbing and went limb over Nat's lap and the older woman stopped the spanking and started rubbing her back.

After Lucy's cries quieted down, Nat replaced her clothes and straightened her up, settling the girl in her lap and instantly engulfing her in a tight hug. Lucy threw her arms around the redhead and buried her head in her shoulder, just crying all her emotion out.

"I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed, Nat stroking her back soothingly. "Not just about the fighting but about the entire past few days. I'm sorry our argument had the entire tower on edge."

Nat kissed her forehead and pulled away slightly, keeping a tight hold on Lucy's shoulder and making sure the younger girl looked into her eyes.

"I appreciate your apology and I know you'll improve your behavior. These are incredibly important rules and I do not want to have to correct you for this again. Is that understood?"

Lucy winched at the stern tone but kept her eyes locked with Nat's. "Yes, ma'am. Understood."

Natasha's expression softened and she smiled at her protégé. "Good. I also think you owe an apology to Rhodey, since you disregarded his order completely."

The girl nodded enthusiastically in response and Nat tightened her arms around her again and the two just sat in silence.

After Lucy had calmed down completely, her mentor pressed another kiss to her forehead.

"You ready to go to dinner? Maybe we can help set the table."

Lucy agreed and as the two got downstairs, Bruce and Rhodey were bringing out the plates and cutlery.

"We'll take care of that," Nat called out to them and walked up to the table.

Before Lucy helped her, she made her way into the kitchen and pulled Rhodey aside. Without breaking eye contact, she started.

"I wanted to apologize for not listening to you earlier downstairs. I know it's one of the most important rules and I'm really sorry for disregarding it so easily. I promise it won't happen again."

Rhodey's expression at first had been stern and serious but quickly softened as Lucy talked. When she finished, Rhodey took her shoulders and proudly smiled at her.

"Apology accepted. I know this was a one-time incident, you're better than this."

Lucy grinned. "Nat said the same."

Rhodey also engulfed her in a hug and then sent her out with the salad bowls.

Everyone else had arrived downstairs as well and Lucy plopped down next to Wanda. Peter, sitting opposite them, just stared across the table but Lucy giggled and leaned in to hear what the witch told her.

"So, what's Gossip Girl about then?"

Lucy turned and gave her sister a disbelieving look. "I can't believe you've never seen it. It's a drama show but it's pretty fun."

Wanda grinned. "Watch tonight?" 

"Sure!" Lucy smiled back. "It's one of my favorite guilty pleasures."

"You look very skeptical," Wanda addressed Peter suddenly.

He still eyed the two girls warily. "Why are you sitting next to each other? And why are you talking to each other?"

Lucy grinned. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Yeah, exactly," Wanda said in perfect deadpan. "We're sisters. We're supposed to talk to each other."

Now Peter's mouth dropped open.

They couldn't keep it together anymore and just exploded into giggles, attracting attention from the other people around the table a well.

Tony frowned. "Aren't you two on non-speaking terms?"

Wanda tried to keep the laughter in. "Why would you think that?"

Lucy exploded again and slowly, the rest of the table loosened up again. The past few days had been tense for everyone because of the girls' argument so no matter the reason why they made up, everyone was glad.

Peter just looked like he couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. "So… I don't have to tiptoe around you two anymore?" 

The girls smiled and shook their heads.

Peter let out a long breath. "Thank god! That was a really long week."

"I think everyone is glad that we can finally have a normal family dinner again," Pepper said satisfied.

"Speaking of dinner," Wanda intervened. "What's for dinner?"

"Eggplant and zucchini casserole," Bruce explained and all three kids instantly pulled faces.

Lucy groaned audibly. She didn't like casseroles much and the only thing worse than zucchini were eggplants. Peter opposite her didn't look too happy about the dinner choice either.

"Do we have to eat that?" he complained slightly.

"Just try it, maybe you'll actually enjoy it," Pepper responded gently.

Lucy was about to open her mouth and let out a whine when she caught Natasha's glance which shut her up instantly. She knew immediately that Nat didn't care one bit that she didn't like it and she wouldn't get out of eating with the family, even if Peter was allowed to grab Mac and Cheese, in case he didn't like the casserole. She didn't need any more trouble with her mentor today anyway, so she just filled her plate. It wasn't as bad as expected – not good, but not disgusting. She grinned at Wanda who'd caught a similar glance from Steve and decided it wasn't worth inviting more upset from him today over food. Lucy only admitted it sometimes but these were some of the moments that made her life now so much better than the one she had a year ago. In school, no one cared what she ate and she never had to worry about being in trouble with anyone. It seemed more difficult now that she had to answer to Nat but it made her feel safe – even the eggplant was worth it.


	11. A Death outside the Family

A Death outside the Family

Sometimes the best news came on the worst days, brightening them from dark spots into light sparkles in the great circle of the year. More often than that - because life overall held more disappointment than happiness, at least in Lucy's view - the happiest days were weighed down by bad news, filling the great expanse of her memory with more dark than light.

Perhaps she should've expected it – early February was the perfect time for bad news. Days were dark, nights long and the weather absolutely ruthless. The last glimmer of hope in winter was Christmas but after that passed, you were only waiting for spring to arrive. It didn't help that the anniversary of her grandma's passing fell into mid-January, right in the middle of the most depressing season. Summer was usually a lot lighter and happier and correspondingly, better things happened.

The day had passed by innocently enough. It was a Friday night, the team had driven upstate in the afternoon, like almost every week and enjoyed some relaxing bonding time away from the bustling city. The time passed quickly, playing cards, chatting and eating tons of snacks. All in all, it was probably the casual and completely ordinary setting Lucy had gotten used to in the past few months with her family. Looking back, it seemed prophetic that her life would be turned upside down right as she had accepted it as a new normal.

Lucy was still laughing at Sam's pained expression as he folded and threw his cards on the table.

"I literally just taught you how to play! It's against the laws of nature that you're better than me."

Peter just grinned as he collected the sweets they had put up instead of actual money. "I believe," he paused and as he continued, he imitated Darth Vader's stertorous breathing, "the student has surpassed the master."

Tony laughed out loud. "Alright, alright, cut it out, Sith lord."

"That makes me want to watch Star Wars again," Steve said from further up the table and a few surprised pairs of eyes darted in his direction. He considered them, a playfully hurt expression on his face.

"I don't see why this is so surprising to you. I'm with the times, I understand what's hip."

Not only the kids but every single person around the table burst out in laughter, Steve just sighing and probably giving up on life a second time.

Lucy managed to breathe normally again and wiped a few tears away. "Please don't try that again. We like your normal ancient self."

Steve fixed his gaze on her. "You know what, Lucy…"

She threw him a challenging smile.

"You're getting too much like Nat," he just sighed.

Lucy only grinned as the Captain shook his head and they decided on a new game to play.

As per usual, everyone was wide awake for quite some time, the week having ruffled everyone up and soon the clock showed half past twelve. The base had gotten very quiet, Shield hours concluded earlier and almost no one except minimum security was left on the compound.

Everyone was therefore understandingly confused to suddenly see Fury, Coulson and Hill enter the common room, all three with somber but unreadable expressions on their faces. The room's atmosphere changed noticeably, as if everyone could sense the message that was about to come their way.

Fury stopped in front of the long table, with Hill and Coulson to either side, and stood up tall. He didn't start speaking immediately and the tension only grew. Fury wasn't one to beat around the bush so him hesitating meant bad news – very bad news.

"There's been an accident," he said in his characteristic curt tone and everyone around the table stiffened. He fixed his eye on Lucy who got a sinking feeling in her stomach and slowly rose. She didn't take much of her environment in, her attention completely tunnel vision on Fury but she could sense Natasha moving closer to her.

Fury didn't move his eye from her. "Your parents' plane crashed on the way to Hong Kong."

The world started spinning around her and Lucy's breath stocked as she looked at the director in shock. Lucy didn't register how Nat touched her shoulder softly and how Coulson took a careful step towards her. The room was quiet enough for everyone to be able to hear a pin falling, except for some almost inaudible gasps and sighs.

Lucy's breathing returned, not normal yet but there was air entering her lungs, and so she hardened her stare.

"Who did it?" She didn't ask. She demanded to know.

Fury didn't twitch, didn't move, didn't blink.

"It was an accident," he said expressionless.

Lucy almost let out a snort, but her features seemed set in stone. She just kept her stare on Fury, insistent and unrelenting. Her expression hardened even more and her face took on an authoritative look. Nat almost smiled, had the situation not been so dismaying. Lucy looked more like Peggy than ever before and apparently Fury also seemed to realize that he was dealing with a Carter.

He looked at her, conveying a world of seriousness through his eye. "It was Hydra."

The shocked gasps around the table were louder this time and Tony let out an audible sigh. Lucy's knees seemed to just give in and she sunk to the floor and without missing a beat, both Wanda and Peter gathered around her.

Lucy closed her eyes and heard Wanda next to her, softly trying to help her get her breathing under control. When she opened her eyes again, Peter had flung his arms around her and Wanda look her in the eyes and carefully placed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Maybe we should open the New York City orphan club," she joked quietly and Peter nodded dejected yet enthusiastically.

"I'll join you," Tony mentioned in a dry voice.

The entire group stayed silent for a few more minutes until they heard the door slide open and determined footsteps that Lucy recognized immediately. She gathered herself up and steadied her breathing as Matthew stepped into the room.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry," he said softly, taking her hands in his and giving her a measured, concerned look.

She managed a thankful smile in response. "Why don't we sit down for this? I assume you came for RI?"

Matthew nodded and took a seat at the head of the table next to Lucy while Nat sat on her other side.

"This tragic accident obviously complicates things a little and we need to make sure that Rutherford isn't falling into complete disarray in the transitional period."

Lucy nodded and heard affirmation from both Pepper and Tony as well. She really was grateful that there was so much support around.

"I don't want Lucy to be in the spotlight for too long," Nat suddenly spoke up firmly. Lucy turned to her in surprise but her guardian had her eyes fixed on Matthew.

The man nodded with a small smile, seemingly quite glad that Natasha was so assertive.

"Of course, there's no question about it. When the formalities are done, you're gonna disappear from the public eye, but we'll make sure to keep you in the loop about any changes. You need to be happy with any direction we're going in. The company will go to the trustees and as soon as you turn twenty-one, you'll be made C.E.O. and get access to all the assets."

Nat glanced at Tony who threw her a somewhat pained look. This brought up many hurtful memories but maybe it would also be a chance to really work out his own problems.

"There's another thing we need to decide," Matthew spoke up again. "It's about your status, now that there's no one above you anymore."

Lucy and the rest turned their attention back to him and he continued.

"Had this happened last June, we would've gone the emancipation route, because that would've been the only way. But things have changed now and there's another option. We can also decide to extend Natasha's guardianship – basically an adoption."

Nat's grip on her arm tightened and Lucy took a deep breath. This was a huge decision and she'd really only been expecting the emancipation. That's what happened with Tony and that's what had always been the way her mind went when Lucy imagined the worst. Now it had happened, but Matthew was right – things were different. Emancipation was a great chance to become independent – what she'd always wanted. She could make her own rules and live on her own, have access to her trust fund and finally do whatever she pleased – and a year ago, she would've jumped at the opportunity to get that life. But she didn't live in school anymore. Lucy knew she didn't have to leave the tower if she was emancipated and things could continue the way they were, but it would ultimately be different and she could leave if she did want to. She quickly glanced at Nat who had an unreadable, blank expression on her face.

"It's your decision, you're old enough to decide for yourself what you want," Matthew continued. "You'll probably need some time to mull it over –"

"I want the adoption," Lucy interrupted him and Matthew gave her a smile, though he didn't seem to be surprised. She felt Nat next to her letting out a slow breath that no one realized she'd been holding in.

"That's fabulous!" Pepper exclaimed and jumped up. "I'll get on the paperwork immediately."

Matthew gave her a grateful nod as the woman walked out the room towards the office, already talking to J.A.R.V.I.S.

Everyone's concerned eyes turned to Lucy again who just sat in silence, staring at the table with expressionless, empty eyes and Steve felt the need to finally say something.

"Are you ok, Lucy?"

She jerked her head towards him as if pulled out of a trance. "Yes, of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

The obvious answer of 'because your parents just died' wasn't uttered by anyone – every single person in the room had to deal with loss before and they all understood denial perfectly.

"Nothing much changes. In some ways it might actually be easier," Lucy continued, as much to reassure herself than to explain to the others. "When people hear that you don't have a good relationship with your parents, they always say 'oh, you should change that, you'll regret it at some point'. Now I'm gonna get sympathy cause they're dead."

No one responded except for throwing pained glances at each other. Nat kept her hand on Lucy's arm, but she didn't know what to do. Loss was something she'd trained herself to become immune against a long time ago but she'd been lucky enough that until today in her newfound family nothing tragic had transpired. She wasn't so sure that her emotionless training would still hold the same weight with this ragtag group of heroes.

Lucy turned her attention back to Matthew. "When is the funeral gonna be?"

He sighed. "It's going to be tomorrow and there's specific instructions in the will on how the procession is supposed to go."

"Of course there are," Lucy muttered under her breath. "Prepared for everything, as always."

"You're gonna have to say a few words," Matthew said carefully, not entirely sure of Lucy's reaction.

The girl just stared at him. She'd anticipated it and she'd be able to do it but –

"Don't expect me to cry. I can't."

Matthew shook his head. "No, of course not. We'll prepare a little speech for you and you only need to read that in the church…" he paused. "You only need to put on your public face for a few hours and it'll be over."

Lucy nodded mutely, feeling Natasha's hand on her arm the entire time and feeling eternally grateful for the support. As little as the gesture was, it meant everything to her.

She coached her expression carefully and managed a tone void of any emotion. "Well, I guess I better go shopping later then. It's my parents' funeral, this calls for new Louboutins."

The room was dead silent and Natasha threw Tony another look who was watching Lucy with concerned eyes.

Matthew also threw a last worried look to Lucy and Natasha before getting up and promising he'd return around lunch time to hash out the details.

After he left, silence settled in the room again. Everyone sat there, concerned about Lucy or shell-shocked themselves.

"What are you gonna do?" Lucy suddenly addressed Fury in a firm voice.

He only gave her a questioning glance in response so Lucy took a breath in and explained in the same authoritative tone. "What are you gonna do about the people who murdered my parents? How are you gonna track them?" 

Fury furrowed his brows. "We're gonna try and find the people responsible, but it's not gonna be easy –"

"I don't care if you have to dig through ice craters in Antarctica," Lucy said in a dangerously low voice. "You'll find whoever did this and then –"

She stocked, not wanting to finish that thought but most everyone at the table knew where she was headed towards. Tony sucked his breath in once again, but thankfully, Pepper entered the room in the moment. With a quick glance around, she could tell where the conversation had gone and decided to take charge.

"I'm getting us all some hot chocolate." She let her eyes wander from face to face. "Sam, come help me."

The man got up immediately – every family member knew better than to keep Pepper waiting – and followed the ginger into the kitchen.

Fury, Hill and Coulson left but said they'd be in early morning and keep everyone updated, as well as call an Avengers meeting to plan the next moves. Before Coulson walked out, he took Lucy's hands and gave her a long look until the girl nodded and the two seemed to come to an unspoken understanding.

Pepper and Sam emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later with the cocoa. Lucy breathed in the familiar scent of the hot chocolate that she would normally have when she needed to calm down when she woke up from a nightmare. Today wasn't a nightmare though, it was real. It wouldn't change, it would never be any different. This was how her life was going to be from now on. She wasn't lying when she told the others that this wouldn't affect her day to day life much considering her parents had never been involved. But there was a difference in being someone with neglectful parents and being an orphan. Which she was now. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself and get rid of that feeling of sickness in her chest before she gratefully registered Nat's hand that had now wandered to her back and was rubbing it slowly.

The room was still silent and as much as Lucy appreciated the lack of condolence wishes, she just couldn't stay there.

She stood up abruptly, almost startling Peter. "I'm going to bed."

Natasha got up immediately with her and everyone else nodded understandingly. As Lucy walked towards the door, followed closely by Nat, she heard someone else get up as well.

When she halted in the hallway and turned, Tony was walking out of the room and stopped right next to her.

He gave her a serious look and Lucy noticed concern in it too. "I know exactly how you feel, Lucy."

She eyed him soberly. "I don't doubt it."

Tony pressed his lips together in a dry smile. "If there's anything you need or if you want to talk, anything at all – you can always come to me, no matter when or where, yeah?"

Lucy nodded. "Thank you. I'm grateful." And she meant it. She knew his parents' death still wasn't easy for Tony to deal with, especially after finding out the real reason they were assassinated.

"But I'm fine." She gave him a slight smile but both of them knew that her eyes weren't showing it.

"Alright," Tony conceded but kept the serious look. "If you change your mind, I'm always here."

Lucy nodded again and walked up the stairs to her own floor. Nat followed her but not without first pressing Tony's hand in grateful appreciation. She knew he was the one to relate to the girl's situation the best and he'd be the one to help her.

To Lucy, it felt like she was walking in a trance back to her room, only registering Nat's support as in the periphery of her vision. She changed into her pajamas immediately and sunk into bed, Nat pulling the covers up around her before sitting herself on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not going to make you talk about this if you don't want to," the woman started, still directing concerned eyes at Lucy. "But I want to know how you're feeling."

Lucy nodded. She did want to talk about what was going on inside but she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to express and make sense of it at all and she told her mentor as much.

Nat just smiled softly. "Try it. Just say what you're thinking."

"I'm sad," Lucy began and Natasha nodded, placing a calming hand on her arm. "Not so much because they're gone. It's true, I haven't seen them in a year and they've never done anything except making me feel bad." She could sense Nat tensing and she was sure she knew why but she just continued.

"I don't know – I don't remember the last thing they said to me." She stocked. "The last time I saw them was at grandma's funeral."

Natasha let out another flat breath but kept soothingly stroking Lucy's arm.

"I guess I'm mostly angry. They didn't deserve to die and I'd be more okay if it had been an accident or a natural death like grandma's – but an assassination is different." Her eyes turned dark again at the thought of her parents' fate.

Nat closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she fixed her gaze on Lucy who held the stare.

"I understand your feelings and so does everyone else. Promise me that if there's anything bothering you, you'll talk to Tony? He knows exactly what you're going through and he will help you, alright?"

Lucy nodded seriously and Nat smiled softly again.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

At her insistence, Nat motioned her to shuffle over and sat in the bed, taking Lucy in her arms. After the girl closed her eyes, Natasha began humming a Russian lullaby and within minutes Lucy had drifted off.

With a sigh, the spy considered the girl in her arms. She completely understood how worked up Lucy was at the way events had unfolded. She didn't doubt for a second that had their deaths been an accident, Lucy would have a much easier time dealing with it but she also agreed that Lucy knowing the truth was important. Natasha didn't exactly know how to console someone whose parents just died – although they all had experience dealing with loss, she had no idea what losing family would feel like. Although, she smiled at the thought, she could imagine pretty well by now. She knew she'd do anything to help Lucy and she also made the decision to talk to Tony, whether Lucy would do so herself or not. She'd need help dealing with the girl and the genius was the one who'd been in the exact same shoes. It was with that consoling thought that she also fell asleep.

When Lucy woke up the next day, she was still in Natasha's arms who was already awake and reading. Her mentor smiled at her encouragingly and Lucy sighed.

"It wasn't a nightmare, was it?"

Nat swallowed and shook her head.

Lucy took a deep breath threw the blanket off. "Matthew is coming by today, right?"

"He should be here in about an hour." Nat got up as well and threw Lucy a glance. "We'll meet him downstairs and I can tell the others to leave if you don't want to see anyone. They'll understand."

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's alright. Being alone freaks me out."

Nat smiled and nodded before exiting the room and waiting in their living area for Lucy.

After the girl stepped out, showered and dressed and looking more put together than anyone would've expected her to in the situation, the two went downstairs.

Matthew had already arrived and greeted the girl with careful eyes. He knew exactly how Lucy's relationship with her parents had been but he also realized how hard their death was on her.

Lucy sat next to him and a bunch of papers he'd brought, while Tony, Pepper, Peter, Wanda, Steve and Nat also sat at the table with a few others, including Coulson, standing around the room.

"The funeral is going to start at 2pm tomorrow. They'll carry the caskets through the streets and then into the church." Matthew looked at Lucy who threw him a questioning glance. "You don't have to follow them. You can already be in the church, no one will mind."

Lucy nodded in relief and Matthew continued.

"It's also going to be a closed casket service and the wake will only include a small buffet. We're going to make this as short as possible but you'll have to shake a few hands. Nothing big and I'll be at your side the entire time."

Matthew smiled at Lucy's appreciative look but threw a slightly more concerned one Tony's way. "We'll mostly have business associates coming and a few friends from their Upper East Side circle."

Tony sighed and Lucy gave Matthew a pained look – she had an idea of who'd be coming.

"Does Harry have to come too?"

At Matthew's nod, Lucy groaned and Wanda gave her a confused look so she explained. "He's the son of Norman Osborn, the C.E.O. of Oscorp… another technology company that RI is doing business with. I saw him now and then when we were growing up and… well.. about a year ago… there might've been something… happened between us… you know what I mean!"

Even though the situation was grave, most people around the room couldn't hide their amused faces.

"Harry Osbourne, seriously?" Tony couldn't help himself but let out a sound of distress after Pepper landed a square punch on him.

Lucy threw him an exasperated look. "I was lonely after grandma died and we'll never speak of this again." She turned to Matthew. "You got what I need to say in church?"

He nodded and handed her a slip of paper. She skimmed over it and gave him a nod to show her acceptance.

"You wanna try reading it out?" he probed and Lucy cleared her throat before taking a deep breath.

"I would like to welcome you all and thank you for honoring my parents today. Whether friends or business partners, they had special relationships with each and every one they knew and as their daughter, I know better than anyone else how much their passing will affect the community. My parents were trailblazers in every way possible. Their dedication to improving the lives of society and the world was unmatched and will continue to be a guiding light for myself and everyone who longs to follow in their footsteps. Technology has always been their focus and they saw it as the way to build a better future. I am certain that everyone in this room can agree that they have gone far on that path and I will carry on this legacy with the help of their connections and friends, many of who have joined me in commemorating them today. My parents were special people, compassionate and caring, for the community and their own family and I will greatly miss them and their commitment. I thank you all for paying your respects today and I appreciate your support in this difficult time."

She finished and looked up at Matthew who smiled at her encouragingly.

"Well done! That sounds really good." 

"And it's a complete lie." Lucy scoffed but Nat placed a hand on her back and she immediately relaxed.

"It's better than the truth," Matthew responded. "At least it's not getting you worked up as much. Just pretend it's acting."

"You don't have to do anything else. We'll meet you at the church at 2 and wait for the caskets," he continued. "You'll be okay."

Lucy nodded and Matthew saw himself off with one last, sad smile around the room.

After he'd left, Coulson stepped up and took his seat. Lucy gave him a curious look – she knew what this was going to be about.

"We have some intelligence but it's not much," he started and Lucy's eyes got darker. "We will find whoever did this, but we're sure that it wasn't one single person. Most probably it was a Hydra cell but we need to determine which level the command came from. The higher it was, the harder it will be to find specific people. If it turns out this was a top brass decision, the only thing we can do is destroy the organization completely."

"Which is was what you're working on anyways, correct?" Lucy interrupted him.

Coulson nodded. "We are but it's a bigger problem than just a single cell like the one in Pittsburgh. It could take years."

Lucy took in a sharp breath but she did understand what Phil was saying. She knew it wouldn't be easy or quick but as long as they did something, she'd be okay with it.

"If you're all free, you can come with me right now. Hill and Fury are waiting in the conference room and we're going to be planning the deployment of the next teams and your mission. This obviously changes our focus." He glanced at Peter and Wanda but fixed his stare on Lucy. "I know you want to be a part of this, but I can't allow that – for either of the three of you. This is a dangerous and lengthy project and, especially you, Lucy, are too close to this in any case."

She'd expected this and with a quick look to Natasha, she nodded. "I understand."

Coulson let out a sigh of relief – he'd definitely expected resistance – and got up, the others following him.

"I don't have to join them, if you want me here," Natasha addressed Lucy but the girl responded with a smile.

"No, it's alright, I'm gonna go into town with the others to get an outfit for tomorrow."

She did hold onto Nat's sleeve for a bit longer though. "Are you gonna tell me what you decide?" 

Nat considered her with a serious look. "As much as I'm allowed to. I'm trusting you that you won't use this for anything, okay?"

Lucy nodded enthusiastically and Nat placed a kiss on her forehead before following the team to the working part of the compound.

Shopping was usually fun especially with her siblings, but Lucy's feelings were still all over the place. She was still grateful for the task though, something to focus on was helping, even if it was only clothes.

Lucy did get a new pair of Louboutins and also a pretty black dress, perfect for the occasion and they found a nice one for Wanda too. They decided on a black suit for Peter and Lucy couldn't deny that he looked good in it – but basically every man, and woman for that matter, looked better in a suit.

The day went by quickly and when the kids got back from shopping, the Shield meeting had already finished and Bruce and Sam were preparing dinner.

At Lucy's request, Nat stayed with her that night as well. Lucy didn't know why she suddenly felt so fragile but that's probably just what loss did to her, but with Natasha's arms wrapped around her, she fell asleep soon.

###

"And I would also like to extend our deepest condolences on behalf of Hammer Industries and myself. This must be a very trying time for you." Hammer smiled at her and Lucy managed to hide every emotion behind her public face and only offered a small smile that hopefully looked sad.

"I appreciate that, thank you."

She shook his hand and sighed after he turned towards the buffet. Hammer had been the last one of the important guests that she needed to face and now that it was finally over, she turned to Matthew who'd been standing beside her the entire time. He gave her a proud smile for having managed the difficult part and led her back to her family that was standing next to a table towards the back of the room.

Natasha put an arm around her shoulder in support and Lucy gratefully leaned on it. She got her little speech in church and all the condolence wishes at reception behind her and for some reason, it had taken a greater toll on her than expected. She felt drained and empty. With a little shake of her head, she got Peter and Wanda's attention and pulled them aside.

"I can't stay here anymore."

Wanda nodded in understanding. "We'll get you back to the tower."

"No!" Lucy said, placing a hand on Wanda who was about to turn to tell the others. "I don't feel like going back there either." She paused. "I thought we could go to my parents' penthouse. That should be pretty quiet and I got the keys."

Peter immediately agreed and Wanda also nodded after considering her sister for a moment. Lucy smiled satisfied and quickly stepped up to Nat. She didn't tell where she'd go but Nat didn't ask, so they just left.

The walk wasn't long, only a few blocks, and Lucy was grateful for the opportunity for some fresh air. When they stepped into the penthouse, Wanda had to do a double take. The tower was luxurious but very practical and in no way at the top of the Upper East Side game – unlike the Rutherford penthouse.

Lucy directed the others to the sofas and opened the minibar opposite them.

"Help yourselves!"

She didn't need to say it twice. Peter jumped up and grabbed a beer from the cooler, while Wanda only slowly chose a bottle of red wine and filled a glass. Lucy herself grabbed a bourbon and filled a tumbler – much higher than usual.

She raised her glass. "To my parents' funeral."

Wanda threw her a warning glance and Lucy sighed.

"Fine… to us, then."

This time, Peter and Wanda echoed the toast and all took a sip from their drinks. The warmth of the amber liquid made Lucy feel a little better. At least it filled something inside of her. They continued drinking in silence until Lucy had emptied her glass and rose to get a refill. It hadn't taken long. Wanda frowned and looked at Peter who didn't seem concerned at all. She shook her head slightly and discreetly got out her phone.

_We're at the Rutherford penthouse, not at the tower. Lucy didn't wanna go back there. _

She sent the text to Nat and received a reply within minutes.

_Are you drinking? You need any help?_

Wanda smiled.

_Yes, but it's all fine so far._

Again, the reply came instantly.

_Alright, text me when you need Happy to come pick you up._

Wanda took a deep breath and put her phone away again. She felt much better now that Nat knew.

When Lucy got up to get her second refill, Wanda threw Peter who was still nursing his first beer another insistent look and this time, he finally responded with a concerned look of his own. Good, Wanda thought, he was finally catching on.

"Do you think you wanna slow down a bit?" Peter carefully asked Lucy who shook her head.

"I'm okay."

With a frown, Wanda noted that Lucy really was able to hold her drink – which only concerned her more.

"I think we should get back to the tower." Wanda softly nudged Lucy who sighed but gave a slow nod.

Relieved, Wanda quickly texted Happy and ushered the others out to the street where he was waiting with the car. She was amazed and worried that Lucy was still walking straight.

The closer they got to the tower, the more nervous Peter seemed to get. Lucy on the other hand didn't seem to care at all.

Up on the common floor, their guardians quickly made their way to their protégés and Nat inspected Lucy carefully. Tony whispered something to Peter and seemed satisfied with the response because he smiled and waved to Pepper before she led them both to their own floor.

Steve watched Wanda carefully but smiled at her. "Thanks for letting us know. This could've gone very differently."

The girl nodded and the two wished the others a good night before also disappearing.

Nat lifted Lucy's chin and wasn't exactly surprised to see the girl respond like she usually would. Even with quite some alcohol in her system she was acting completely normal – she'd built up a lot of tolerance over the years and Nat wasn't sure whether she was happy with that.

"How much have you had?" Her voice didn't let any room for argument and Lucy only sighed.

"Three glasses of bourbon," she muttered in response and Nat frowned.

"Filled to the brim, I assume."

Lucy's head sank and her mentor sighed before taking her shoulders and turning her.

"You need to have some water and then get to bed."

Like the previous nights, Natasha didn't leave Lucy side once the girl went to bed and Lucy couldn't help but feel confused at the lack of anger and disappointment in Nat's demeanor to this point.

"Why aren't you more upset?" she questioned as she turned around to see Natasha's eyes.

The redhead sighed and stroked Lucy's shoulder. "Because I understand what's going on."

"Don't get me wrong," she fixed stern eyes on Lucy. "We'll talk about this tomorrow but I know this isn't something I need to fear a repetition of."

Lucy sank a little further into her bed but Natasha's calming gestures helped her once again to fall asleep.

###

Nat sighed as she left their own floor and took the elevator down to Tony's. The talk with Lucy had gone as she expected and she understood the girl's position and Lucy seemed to understand her. She made sure she didn't let it slide – she definitely made it clear that it couldn't happen again – but the onus was on her to keep a reign on Lucy's behavior. The girl was in no state to regulate it herself.

After a knock on the door, Nat heard a call from inside and slipped into Tony's office. The genius was sitting at his desk and looked up with a smile when he saw the spy enter.

"This seems very formal – very unlike you."

Nat sighed and dropped into the chair in front of the desk.

"Tony… I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

The smile vanished from the man's face and he watched her closely.

"She's self-destructing and I can understand why but there needs to be a way to stop it," Nat continued in a low voice. Tony pulled a sympathetic face. It was highly unusual for the redhead to be so downcast and unconfident. He didn't like seeing her that way – at all.

"I know it looks like there's no way out right now – for both of you. But it's gonna get better," he promised and elicited a small smile from Natasha.

"This is probably not very comforting to you but this is almost the same behavior I exhibited." Tony grinned at Nat's pained expression. "But the difference is that Lucy has a much better support system. She's got all of us around and every single person in this tower will do everything they can to help her get through this."

Nat gave him a grateful look. "Thank you and you're right. I guess we can't force anything but only keep a closer eye on her than usual."

"Exactly," Tony nodded. "I don't want to know how this would've gone a year ago."

He stopped talking and Natasha also got quiet. She couldn't imagine how hard Peggy's death must've been on Lucy and her annoyance and anger at the Rutherfords flared again. She couldn't believe how these people had absolutely wasted their chance at having a relationship with this smart, strong girl.

Tony seemed to realize the change in her mood and decided that this wasn't going the right way.

"So, is Reed off his probation yet?"

Nat looked up at him in surprise and gave him a sly smile. "He still winces every time he sees Clint on the compound… it's funny."

The two grinned at each other and Nat couldn't help but think that they'd prevail – with the help of the family she never thought she'd ever have.


	12. Stowaways

Stowaways

The amber drink in her hand glistened in the light through the pattern of the tumbler like crystals and Lucy leaned back into the soft couch, letting out a soft sigh before downing the rest of the bourbon.

"You're still holding up?" Olivia sank down next to her and filled the glass again. Lucy lazily looked over to her and saw the fourth Martini in the other girl's grasp.

"All good," Lucy answered as she straightened her back. "I don't have to get back home, that makes it a little easier."

Olivia grinned. "You can finally drink again. The past few months I was wondering whether you've actually converted to being a good girl now. That's not like you."

"I suppose I tried and failed," Lucy gave her a dry grin. "Can't deny my personality."

"How are you doing otherwise? Now that you found back to your real self?" Olivia calmly asked. "Everything with your parents?"

Lucy only held up the half-emptied glass of bourbon, a gesture that had become second nature in the two weeks since the funeral and Olivia nodded. "It's a way to deal with it. You got the emancipation down? That's what Carter got two years ago, after the accident, remember?"

"Actually, no," Lucy sighed, turning her red rimmed eyes, marked by the alcohol, to the brunette. "It was on the table but we went with adoption." 

She grinned as Olivia's eyes grew slightly. For the young woman who never showed any sign of surprise because everything was under her control, that was a big deal.

"You really feel indebted to these people, otherwise you wouldn't have turned down the chance to be able to do whatever the hell you want - and your entire trust fund. Come on, you would've made Forbes pretty much immediately – under 20s even!"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders, too intoxicated to feel much. "I suppose so."

Olivia knew she wouldn't get anything else out of the other girl so she motioned for the rest of her minions to join them on the couch.

The night passed quickly. Lucy never felt happy at any point but she wasn't expecting that anymore. Her parents' death hit her harder than expected and she originally thought being at the tower would help but it didn't. Not even her grandmother dying had been this bad and the only reason she could think of was that her grandma has passed away in her sleep, whereas her parents were killed - in an assassination. After four glasses of Bourbon she didn't care anymore though and decided that was the reason.

###

"You're still alive?" Olivia turned from the brunch assortment as Lucy stepped out the bath into the living room.

"Barely," Lucy sighed as she dropped on the sofa next to Jane and grabbed a croissant.

Heather giggled slightly. "We thought we'd lost you during Never Have I Ever… I can't believe you and Harry Osborne…"

"I know I was drunk but I distinctly remember telling you that we'll never talk about that again," Lucy interrupted the other girl who shut her mouth but still sported a grin.

The girls enjoyed the massive breakfast with gallons of coffee and Lucy was once more amazed at how Olivia managed to throw the best social events – her mother taught her well.

When brunch was done and their hangover somewhat cured, they said their goodbyes and left the penthouse to get to their respective homes.

Lucy navigated her Audi into the garage at the tower before taking the elevator up to her own floor. When she stepped out, Nat was just walking into the living room. Catching a glimpse of Lucy, she stopped and waited for the girl to walk up to her.

"How was the sleepover?"

Nat recognized the distinct bloodshot eyes immediately and she wasn't surprised, but she kept smiling.

"It was fun," Lucy smiled politely but she was pretty sure she couldn't fool Natasha - she was a spy and she knew her too well. She hoped her mentor would just assume she was in so much grief still that she couldn't have fun.

Nat regarded her calmly for a moment, but then apparently decided not to pursue the topic any further. Lucy let out a slow breath, relieved that she avoided a confrontation again. This grief bit really helped get away with the "sleepovers" that occurred more and more recently since the funeral. Before Lucy could disappear in her room, Nat called after her.

"We're driving upstate tomorrow morning, 9am."

Her mentor walked away before Lucy could ask why but it was probably just an irregular Avengers meeting.

###

"I told you we'd get here first."

Lucy pulled up to the gates of the base before the guard recognized her badge and opened them.

"Yes… but at what cost?" Wanda pulled a face. "The way you took those turns was suicidal."

"Oh, please, it was fun," Peter called from the back. "Like a roller coaster."

"Without security," Wanda scowled which made Lucy look at her.

"You're gonna complain to Steve? Please don't, I'm not really in the mood for a lecture."

Wanda gave her an incredulous look. "Do you think I'm dumb? Of course I won't. I still rather drive in your kamikaze vehicle than with the old people."

"Or you could get your driver's license," Peter suggested from behind.

"You're one to talk! You couldn't even be bothered to turn up for the test."

Peter grinned at the witch's retort. "I'm faster swinging around."

"Until someone cuts the strings," Lucy suggested ominously as she turned off the engine.

The spider didn't have time to ponder her words as Lucy ushered them inside to the living room where Hill was already waiting.

"You got here early!" She smiled knowingly. "Do I wanna know what your driving style is like?" 

Wanda sighed audibly and Lucy grinned at the older woman. "Learned from Tony, learned from the best."

"Debatable!" the witch called and everyone started laughing.

Peter gave Hill his puppy dog look which worked with everyone except Shield agents, something Lucy thought was regrettable when dealing with Nat – not that they didn't try.

"Why did we come up here today anyway? No one told us anything."

Hill smiled knowingly but decided that they should be privy to some information.

"We've called an Avengers meeting. I can't tell you what it's about exactly but it's probably gonna result in a short mission. Nothing we can't handle in a day."

Lucy and Wanda gave each other a long look. They didn't have time to pry out any more because the rest of the family arrived at that point as well.

Nat raised an eyebrow when she saw Lucy who smiled back angelically and Tony only grinned.

"I did teach her to drive."

"Yes and I'm starting to regret having allowed that," Natasha scowled with Happy enthusiastically nodding behind her.

"I feel like you need a few more lessons with me on driving like a normal person," he said.

Lucy grinned. "But I'm not a normal person, am I?"

"And here goes the ego," Sam shook his head before turning to Hill. "Conference room?"

The agent nodded and the adults made their way towards the hallway while leaving the kids behind in the living room.

They crashed on the sofas but Lucy couldn't shake the feeling that she had about this meeting.

Suddenly, she stood up, startling Peter. "Let's go see what this assembly is about."

Wanda gave her a confused look. "How?" 

"I thought we could try and hack into the security footage."

"Are you mental?" The witch's mouth stood open but Peter's eyes grew in excitement.

"Let's do it!"

Wanda sighed. "Please think about this again."

Lucy waited a second. "Just did – let's do it."

Even though the other girl wasn't completely on board with the plan, she was bored enough to join them in Lucy's room.

As the three crashed on her bed, Lucy pulled her laptop on her knees and Peter bent over so he could see.

"Remember to disable J.A.R.V.I.S. first –"

"I'm not stupid, spiderling," Lucy grumbled as she got on Tony's private server level and tipped a few familiar commands. "Try it."

Wanda sighed but called out. "J.A.R.V.I.S?"

No response.

"Great!" Peter beamed. "You've gotta teach me how to do that."

"You can figure that out for yourself. It's not Hemmingway analysis," Lucy mumbled, too absorbed in trying to get into Fury's paranoid mind.

"There we are." She leaned back after a few minutes of hectic typing and let the live stream of the security camera roll. Thankfully, the entire compound was equipped with the best technology so even the security footage looked like a made-for-TV movie, rather than grey pixels on a black background.

"_I think a quick response is the best option. Everyone joins in at once and we use the element of surprise. This shouldn't be too dangerous or lengthy."_

As Fury finished talking, he stopped at the head of the conference table and the three kids excitedly looked at each other. So the team was going on a mission.

"_We have Sam, Rhodey and Clint as the fallback team, in case it takes longer than a day and we need to establish camp down there."_

Hill concluded the presentation and the three men nodded in approval and Lucy just wanted her to keep talking. They were too late to catch the beginning of the conversation and they still didn't know the destination.

Now Steve sighed.

"_I know a Saturday excursion to South America wasn't planned, but I agree that a swift response is the best solution. We need to be able to deliver Lucy some good news, if we can't give her peace of mind."_

Lucy heard the others' breath stock and felt her own hitch as well. So, this was about her parents like she'd suspected! But knowing the adults they wouldn't let her go with so she needed a different tactic. Before she could finish that thought though, a voice distracted her.

_Meet at the Quinjet at 12pm._

As Fury finished, his eye quickly flew up to the camera and back down again in less than a second, but Lucy still felt like he'd looked directly through her. She didn't know whether the others saw it but it didn't deter her from finally finishing her line of thought.

"Get out of there, they're leaving," Wanda hissed, even though no one could hear them yet and Lucy retraced her steps with her thoughts still on board another train. She reactivated J.A.R.V.I.S. and the kids put on Netflix, not trying to scramble to the living room and risk being seen rushing out her room.

Lucy didn't concentrate on the show, in fact she lowered the volume slightly and got the others' attention.

"I have an idea."

Wanda moaned. "Please don't."

Lucy gave her an exasperated look and continued. "They said this is to do with my parents. I need to know what's going on but they'll never let us go officially."

Peter looked at her with curiosity but Wanda seemed like she'd much rather continue watching Brooklyn 99.

"We know which plane they're using. I say we sneak on the Quinjet and take part in the fighting."

"That's the stupidest idea you ever had," Wanda immediately responded in a serious tone, keeping eye contact with Lucy.

"Come on, Wanda!" Peter nudged the young witch. "I know you're bored too."

"But not suicidal." She was still dead-serious. "You cannot do this." 

Lucy gave her a long look and realized the redhead wouldn't be convinced, so she just smiled and nodded. "Alright, it is a dumb idea. Let's watch."

Peter gave her a confused glance but Lucy ignored him and Wanda seemed happy they finally listened to her and the three turned back to the show.

A few minutes later they were interrupted again, this time by Natasha who asked them to come downstairs. The kids, pretty good at playing dumb, pretended they didn't know what this was about and scrambled up. Wanda was first through the door and when she'd left the room, Lucy held Peter back slightly.

"We're going."

"What?" The spider turned to her questioning.

"We're sneaking on the Quinjet but we can't tell Wanda cause she'll tell Steve. You saw how serious she was."

Peter nodded and his eyes grew in excitement. "We'll tell her we're doing lab work."

Lucy grinned at his quick thinking and the two quickly made to catch up with the witch.

When the team told the kids that they were leaving for the mission the same day the trio showcased their acting abilities once again and as they all got up, Lucy and Peter made their way towards the lab.

Dressed in their suits, they snuck to the Quinjet via the backdoors. The team was still outside sorting through equipment so the two easily climbed into the baggage area behind some boxes. As they heard the others stashed their bags only feet away from their hiding place, Peter and Lucy held their breaths. Once they heard the muffled voices only from the front of the plane and the bridge close, the two smiled at each other. Lucy handed him a piece of gum to minimize the pressurizing effects as the plane started and vertically ascended.

The flight was pretty calm and the silence that Lucy and Peter had to keep didn't help them stay awake so they finally gave in and closed their eyes. They opened them again when they heard an explosion and realized they'd landed and the fighting had already started. Excited, both got out of their hiding place and made their way towards the battleground. Peter started taking off towards what seemed like an abandoned building and Lucy went the other way where she could make out some henchmen around a bunker. With a flick of her arm, she shot five darts in quick succession out of her glove and managed to hit four of the bad guys. This was going well, she thought and satisfied, went on further down the path. Another deafening explosion in front of her sent her tumbling back however and it took a few moments before the dust had settled enough for her to see again.

"Oh, I better be dreaming and you're not actually here," a voice behind Lucy had her spin around. Sam was eyeing her sternly and before Lucy could respond, he dragged her back a few paces, just in time to avoid being hit by another blast.

"I'm helping!" Lucy said as soon as she found her balance again.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "You're not. You're not part of this mission and you have no idea what we're doing." At Lucy's defiant face, he took her shoulders and looked at her intently. "You get back to the jet right now and I'll consider telling Nat that you never got off."

Lucy was about to give an angry response but another blow was heard and the entire area was covered in thick dust again. When it settled, Sam was gone and suddenly panic spread in Lucy's chest.

"Sam? Sam!" she yelled as she made her way back from where she'd come from but apparently she'd lost orientation and couldn't see the jet anymore. Hectically, she turned in circles, trying to remember where she'd gotten off but the building from earlier had disappeared. The heat wasn't helping either and the ground started flickering in the sweltering Peruvian weather.

With another hit close to her, Lucy was stumbling and almost fell but was caught by a mechanic grip and lifted in the air, just in time as the explosive sent a blast through where she'd been standing. Lucy twisted her head to see the silver suit and she could feel Rhodey's disapproval through the mask.

He dropped her at the entrance to the Quinjet, pushed her in straightaway and before Lucy could orientate herself, the hatch closed and the jet lifted off the ground.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

When she heard Natasha's voice right next to her, Lucy was relieved but her heart also immediately dropped. She nodded without looking into her mentor's eyes and took a trembling breath. Nat's hands on her shoulders steadied her and Lucy couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. She still couldn't bring herself to look up but suddenly she felt two arms around her, embracing her in a tight hug. The adrenaline left her at once and Lucy clung onto Nat and started sobbing into her shoulder. The hand stroking up and down her back couldn't console her, so Natasha started humming a Russian lullaby and finally Lucy's breathing normalized.

Nat was worried, scared, furious and panicked. She usually didn't have many feelings but Lucy managed to send her over the emotional edge time and time again. It wasn't scaring her – she'd been living with the Avengers for years and with Clint even longer - but she was still getting used to connecting with someone else emotionally to the extent it happened with Lucy. While she was angry and completely astounded at the girl's ideas, the relief was more prevalent after the worry fell off that had weight on her since Sam notified her that Lucy was there in the fighting. Holding the girl in her arms, she tightened her embrace again to reassure herself that Lucy was safe and unharmed.

Once Lucy stopped sobbing, the two pulled apart and the disappointment and anger Natasha felt at her actions took over. Lucy looked up at her and swallowed hard as she saw Nat's hard eyes that didn't reveal any of her emotions which was always a bad sign. Not that she needed any subtle hints – she knew she'd messed up badly. Natasha grabbed her shoulders and navigated her to the side of the plane before sitting her down next to Peter. Lucy hadn't realized while she was upset herself, but Tony didn't respond well to their impulsive decision and Natasha pulled him away harshly before he could get up further in Peter's face. Rhodey was sitting with the boy, calming him down, while Tony tried to keep it together. Lucy flinched at how scared he must've been and with his special worry about Peter, she knew why he'd responded so toughly. She sunk down next to Peter and Rhodey also placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be alright, both of you."

Lucy looked up at the man with worried and apologetic eyes and he returned a stern look.

"This was the stupidest decision you've made so far, but you know you'll get through this," Rhodey stroked their arms and with a few deep breaths, Lucy was able to nod and agree with him. Peter next to her had calmed as well but looked still quite shaken.

Peering over Rhodey's shoulder, Lucy could see Natasha talking intently to Tony, getting close up in his face and apparently that's what he'd needed because he seemed much calmer than before.

The atmosphere on the jet was subdued and Sam and Clint had hidden themselves in the cockpit, while Steve stood next to one of the small windows, completely ignoring the two kids. When suddenly Tony's phone rang, the loud ringing startled everyone. He pulled a face as he looked at the display and took a deep breath before answering it.

"Hey Pep," he said softly and Lucy felt as if an icy dagger went through her heart. She hadn't even realized that Pepper would be worried out of her mind at not being able to find Peter at the base.

"Yes, he's here. Oh no, please stop crying, Pep, he's not hurt, he's fine, they're both fine," Tony said softly. Lucy's eyes grew while Nat placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't, Pep, of course, I didn't allow him to come!" Tony tried desperately to calm his fiancée down.

Nat seemed to realize that Tony wasn't handling this well so she took the phone from him and started talking softly to Pepper. She was successful and able to hang up not long after, having promised the other woman to return as quickly as possible to the base.

While Nat was still talking to Tony, Steve finally turned around and faced the kids sternly.

"I hope I don't have to tell you that this was a completely ill-advised and irresponsible decision," he addressed them in a curt tone and Lucy knew they were about to receive a serious dressing-down.

"You know exactly how this team works and how we choose missions and assignments. It was clear that you might be allowed on some and we were quite impressed with your skills and abilities when you have accompanied us." He directly looked at Lucy who had a hard time holding his gaze.

"But today you've shown a level of immaturity that we are not used to from you. You were not authorized, you didn't know what the mission objectives were and you weren't accounted for. I don't know what you were thinking but considering the severity of your mistakes, you mustn't have been thinking at all. As your commanding officer and personally, I'm gravely disappointed in your actions today." He gave them another long look before turning towards the cockpit and checking in with Clint and Sam.

Lucy didn't look at Peter but she could feel him slump next to him. She couldn't remember ever having felt worse. They'd upset their guardians, Steve was disappointed and more furious than ever before and she didn't even want to imagine what her grandma would have to say about this. That thought alone almost brought the tears back to her eyes so instead of dwelling on it, she closed them and leaned back against the wall of the jet. Not much later, Lucy felt someone crouch down next to her and she immediately recognized the smell that instantly calmed her. Leaning back into Natasha's arms and feeling her mentor's hand soothingly stroking her hair, she finally fell asleep.

###

Once back at the compound, Nat ordered Peter and Lucy to get to the living room and wait there. Not wanting to upset anyone any more than they already had, the two did as told without risking another look at any adult.

When they entered the family area, Pepper jumped up out of the seat she'd been occupying for the past hours and almost ran towards the kids.

"Oh, thank God, you're both alright!"

She engulfed them in a tight hug and Lucy was sure she could feel tears running down the older woman's face. The phone call had made her feel even guiltier than before but she almost couldn't stand this. When Pepper pulled away, Lucy forced herself to look back into her eyes.

"We're really sorry for worrying you," she started and Pepper sighed heavily.

"You scared the life out of me when I realized you weren't here anymore," she said with a shake of her head.

Peter sunk his head and Lucy couldn't hold the ginger's gaze anymore either. Pepper sighed once more and softly moved the kids towards the living room.

"I'm assuming Tony and Nat will want to have a discussion with you in here."

Lucy bit her lip and gave a soft nod in response. Before she left the room, Pepper turned and even managed a small smile.

"It's gonna be okay. This was a stupid, reckless decision, but we'll all get through this." With that she left the remorseful kids behind, awaiting the inevitable judgment.

They didn't have to wait for long. A few minutes later, the door opened and Tony and Natasha entered the room and closed the door behind them. Without saying a word, they walked over to the sofa next to the one Peter and Lucy occupied and sat down, eyeing the kids sternly.

Finally, Nat took a deep breath.

"I don't think we need to explain why we're here."

Even if Lucy had attempted to hold eye contact, the tone of her mentor's voice turned her stomach upside down and she couldn't bear the disappointed look anymore.

"Your decisions today were irresponsible, reckless and completely mindboggling. I don't know how in the world you came up with the idea of hiding in the Quinjet and taking part in a mission you weren't authorized to be on."

Nat paused and Lucy still didn't risk a look up. From the corner of her eyes she could see Peter slump more and more in his seat.

"I think Steve already talked to you about the implication this has for the team and as a commanding officer," Tony continued and his voice was heavy with disappointment and remnants of worry and anger.

"But you didn't just break official rules by going without authorization, you also broke our trust and rules by putting yourselves into direct danger for no reason whatsoever."

Lucy's heart sank with every word. It wasn't that she didn't know what she did wrong but hearing it laid out so plainly every time they needed to have a discussion felt like punches to her gut. She'd never had to deal with that in school. If they caught her breaking the rules, she'd have to serve detention but there was no discussion about the issue. Lucy had to admit that the tower approach – if harder to face and stomach - was definitely more efficient. She definitely tried to actively avoid trouble – most of the time. Lucy didn't understand her actions today at all.

"You are both grounded for two weeks," Natasha took over again. "On top of that, I don't think I need to mention that you've lost our trust and will not go on missions in the foreseeable future."

Lucy closed her eyes as she could already feel tears pricking at them. Natasha didn't allow any emotion in her voice which was always the worst sign. If she didn't sound disappointed anymore, she'd transcended the normal range of upset. Lucy didn't like admitting it, but she incurred that stage too often for her liking.

"We are incredibly disappointed in your actions." Peter slumped further down his seat at Tony's dressing-down and Lucy swallowed hard as she imagined the man's face.

"We're not even going to go into how you found out about the mission but I'm sure we have you to thank for that, Lucy. I checked J.A.R.V.I.S. and he has no recollection of that time in your room."

Lucy's eyes grew slightly and she swallowed hard but didn't dare look up. She didn't think Tony would investigate this far but apparently she had underestimated them.

"Hacking because you're bored or in order to break the rules is completely unacceptable and I thought you understood that. One more incident like this and we will restrict your internet access." Lucy didn't think she'd ever heard Nat sound this stern – and that said a lot.

Tony cleared his throat. "I think we can move onto the punishment then."

He and Nat got up and grabbed their respective kids. Lucy felt Natasha's strong grip on her shoulder and didn't resist as the redhead led her out the room and towards the stairs to their rooms. Inside Lucy's room, Nat sat on the girl's bed and stood Lucy in front of her. She cleared her throat but Lucy still found her shoes more interesting. She knew she was on thin ice and she was right - Nat wasn't having it at this point.

"Lucy." No response.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you. You didn't give Tony or me that respect while we were having the discussion downstairs but I've had enough of your insolence now."

Again, Natasha's words were a punch to the gut and Lucy's head jerked up. Bearing her mentor's gaze was hard but thinking about disappointing her further was worse.

"I really hope you understand how grave what you did today is." Natasha's eyes cut through Lucy and they were more serious than ever before. "This was a huge breach of our trust and I promise you that if this happens again, the consequences will be much more severe. It doesn't seem like it could get stricter, but believe me, we will go there. I sincerely hope for you that that won't materialize."

Lucy's breath stocked. She'd seen Nat angry before, she'd seen her disappointed and upset, but this was a new level. Understandably so. Lucy's shoulders slumped as she realized the extent of worry and agony Natasha must've gone through when she knew that Lucy was on the battlefield – unauthorized and without knowledge of the situation. Tears formed in her eyes already and the punishment hadn't even begun. Nat still had her eyes fixed on her and hid her emotions behind the hard expression. She didn't say anything but instead had her mouth pressed into a thin line. Lucy sighed but couldn't hide the quiver as she took in the breath.

"I'm sorry," she started and Nat's face didn't change at all. "I know it's not enough, especially since I seem to mess up worse and worse with each time, but I am. I'm sorry for worrying you, I'm sorry for breaking the rules and I'm sorry for putting myself in danger."

Nat sighed and some emotion returned to her eyes. Lucy wasn't sure whether she was happy about that – the disappointment and upset was clear to read in them.

"I'm glad you understand that. This is not about some small injury that could happen during a lab experiment or during training. This is a real mission and there's a much greater danger – even to your life. And I think you know that."

Lucy sunk her head but forced her eyes up again immediately and nodded, while maintaining eye contact with Nat's intense gaze. Her mentor took her hands into her own and pulled Lucy a little closer.

"There's always that element of this immense danger in any mission we go on, but we decide the ones for you based on how great it is. As a mother, it is difficult to see you go out there and putting your life on the line. I won't stop you from doing it, because I know how important it is to you and I understand that. But I need to be able to trust you and know how you'll do out there in order to rely on you as a teammate and not go crazy with worry."

Lucy was fighting a losing battle as more and more tears formed in her eyes and worry returned to Nat's eyes again. It only served to remind Lucy of what her guardian went through every time she went on a mission and even more today. She never thought she could feel worse than when she heard Pepper cry on the phone but apparently it was possible.

"Today, you risked your life more than usual because you had no idea of the objective, the plan or any engagement. I never want to have to go through this kind of anxiety again, so please, for my sake, do not ever do that again." Natasha sounded so sincere, Lucy felt another punch to the gut and nodded heartily.

Nat kept her eyes focused on Lucy for another moment before she took a deep breath. "I hope I made myself clear. None of this is going to happen again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lucy answered immediately but the hoarseness of her voice was clearly noticeable.

With a curt nod, Natasha acknowledged her response and then sighed again. "Let's finish this then. Unbutton your pants and over my knee."

Lucy's stomach dropped at the familiar command but anything was better than looking into Nat's eyes for another moment so she quickly obeyed.

Natasha staled herself for the coming minutes. The worry she'd gone through when Sam told her that Lucy was there, on the battlefield, and refusing to return to the jet, was indescribable. She didn't know what the girl had done to her but the extent of emotion she experienced with her was new – the good and the bad. One thing she was certain about now was that she had to draw clear boundaries. This was the most reckless idea Lucy had come up with so far and Nat would go to great lengths to make sure it would stay that way. She was sure this was also to do with Lucy's grief over her parents' deaths but it only had been a few weeks. She wanted to give the girl some more time to comprehend it but that didn't mean that she would let her get away with her impulsively endangering her life or anyone else's. With a deep breath, she pulled down Lucy's pants and underwear in one fell swoop.

When the first smack hit her bottom, Lucy huffed and as Natasha settled into a steady rhythm, she started sniffling soon. The tears that had been building since their discussion soon began to fall freely as the sting in her backside kept building. Nat methodically covered the entire area and after the second round she stopped to pick up the ruler and continue with it. The sting was harsher than only Natasha's hand and Lucy buried her head in her arms. It wasn't as if she hadn't known this was going to happen. Deep down, she'd known from the moment she hid behind the boxes on the Quinjet, but the knowledge that she'd disappointed Nat so much that she felt like she had to use it hurt almost as much as the pain in her bottom. After another round with the ruler that had Lucy start squirming, Nat stopped.

"Why are we here?"

Lucy's stomach turned at the question. She hadn't expected to go over this again but it made sense. Nat was incredibly serious about this topic and Lucy understood, she really did. So, taking a deep breath, she tried to get her voice under control and started.

"Because I hacked into the cameras to eavesdrop on an Avengers meeting and I snuck onto a mission that I wasn't authorized to be on." It was useless to try and hide the tears in her voice.

"Correct." Natasha rested her hand on Lucy's back. "We've been over why this was absolutely unacceptable. On top of that, as soon as you got out of that plane, you were in official mission command, simply because you were out in the field. Yet you didn't obey Sam when he ordered you back to the plane, even though the first rule, in every mission you're on, authorized or not, is to obey any command immediately. I'm very upset at your behavior, especially seeing as the past missions have gone so well."

If she hadn't been placed over Nat's knee, Lucy would definitely slump further. She hadn't realized how far her insubordination had gone but she anticipated what Natasha said next, though she still felt rotten about it.

"You've lost a great deal of trust from all of us and we will think long and hard in the future whether to allow you on another mission. I think it's safe to say that you forfeited the right to any deployment for quite some time and it'll take time before you've earned our trust back."

Lucy had expected this but that didn't make the words sting any less. She knew Natasha was right but Lucy just wanted to sob and tell her she'd do better but she couldn't. Tears were still streaming down her face but she didn't seem to be able to fully let go.

Tipping the girl slightly forward, Natasha started aiming smacks at her sit spots where Lucy would feel the discipline any time she sat down in the next few days. It took longer than usual for the girl to be able to completely submit to the punishment but Nat wasn't surprised. She knew the girl built up a lot of guilt over the rules she'd broken and the worry she'd caused and Nat hoped that that would mean she wouldn't have to repeat this lesson ever.

Lucy felt like her backside was on fire and every measured stroke by her mentor added to the pain. Finally, she let out the first sob and went limb over Natasha's lap. The woman stopped the punishment and began stroking Lucy's back soothingly. It helped calm the girl down but not much. Once the sobs started, Lucy didn't seem to be able to control them anymore and just gave herself to the tears. Nat knew she wouldn't calm down over her knees, so she put Lucy's pants back in place and straightened the girl up before sitting her in her lap and embracing her in a tight hug.

"Shhhhh…" she whispered, placing her head on top of Lucy's, but it didn't help so she reverted to the cure that always worked and softly hummed a Russian lullaby. It was never easy disciplining Lucy and this was certainly the hardest spanking she'd ever given the girl. It had taken all her hard acquired self-discipline to continue with the punishment when she saw the girl cry before they'd even started. But reminding herself of the immense worry she'd felt and the effort it'd taken to calm Tony down on the jet reaffirmed her decision to make this memorable. Slowly, Lucy relaxed in her arms, the sobs quieted down to sniffles and the tears started to dry.

Natasha's arms around her made her feel more secure than she'd felt at any point since they'd gotten on the jet and Lucy was finally able to control herself. She couldn't believe Nat had actually forgiven her though, so she leaned back to look into her mentor's eyes.

"I'm so sorry… for disobeying, for putting my life in danger needlessly, for worrying you."

Nat smiled and stroked her hair calmly. "I know and you're punished and forgiven. I trust this won't happen again."

Lucy shook her head enthusiastically. "I promise it won't."

"Good," Natasha praised. "You'll also apologize to Sam specifically, since you disobeyed his order, and to Steve because he's your commanding officer."

Lucy gave a nod in response. "Yes, ma'am."

She sighed heavily. "I think I owe an apology to the entire team for making them worry and go after us when they should have been concentrating solely on the mission."

Natasha's features relaxed once more and the disappointed and stern sparkle in her eyes made way for a different one. Lucy had no idea how she managed to make Nat look proud after the stunt she just pulled but by now she'd given up trying to find reasons for why the family might not want or keep her. The adoption paperwork that was currently going through checks should've probably been enough warning.

"I'm very proud of you for recognizing that, ptichka," Nat said softly and pressed Lucy's head against her chest again.

Lucy took a deep breath and was finally able to let go of all the tension in her body as she listened to Nat's heartbeat.

###

Peter and Tony had apparently finished earlier, as when Lucy got to Steve's office door, Peter was just exiting. He threw her a pained but definitely happier look as she questioningly cocked her head. Lucy just sighed and caught the door as it closed and stuck her head into the office.

"Could I talk to you for a minute, please?"

Steve nodded seriously – he'd probably expected her to pay a visit – and gestured to the seat in front of his desk. Lucy took a deep breath and slowly sat down, wincing slightly as her backside painfully connected with the seat of the wooden chair. Steve managed to hide his soft smile at Lucy's face since he knew exactly what had happened.

"I wanted to apologize for my actions today," Lucy started, forcing herself to hold Steve's stern gaze. He really didn't want to make this easy on her and Lucy really couldn't blame him for it.

"I'm sorry for putting my life and Peter's into danger and completely going against everything the team stands for and everything I've ever been taught. I have no idea why I ever believed this was a good idea and I promise that this will never happen again – ever."

Lucy stocked to take a deep breath and tried to examine Steve's expression though it was to no avail. Like Nat, he wore an unreadable mask that didn't let any of his emotion become known to her so she just continued her apology.

"Everything I did was wrong, from hacking into the security cameras to hiding on the jet and disobeying every order I was given. I understand that I violated your trust and that of the entire team and I'm sorry I worried you."

She paused again, desperately hoping Steve would finally say something because she really didn't know what else she could say that would make him forgive her.

Thankfully, Steve sighed and leaned forward on his table, locking his hands.

"Thank you, Lucy. I'm glad you understand that what you did was completely unacceptable and I expect it won't ever happen again." His voice was as stern as Lucy ever heard and she slumped slightly in her chair, ignoring the stitch in her bottom. Looking back into Steve's eyes was even more painful anyway.

"I assume you had a discussion with Natasha already?"

Lucy nodded and swallowed hard.

"Then I trust she touched on the most important things. There has to be a certain level of trust within the team and as you realized, you destroyed that with your impulsive decision today."

Again, even though Lucy knew all of this already, his words felt like a punch to the gut when she heard it laid out so directly. She couldn't stand the look in his face anymore so she suck her head and chose to inspect her hands instead.

"I know you will earn it back because I refuse to believe today was anything else but an outlier fueled by some ignorant teenage rebelliousness."

The tears returned as the corners of Lucy's eyes started burning. She took a trembling breath. Steve's disappointment was hard to stomach and every time her actions were the reason for it, memories of her grandma haunted her. Not wanting to seem disrespectful again, Lucy lifted her head and forced herself to look back into Steve's eyes. To her surprise, some warmth had returned to them and Steve's expression wasn't as hard anymore.

"Apology accepted. You're an exceptionally bright young woman and you know better than this. Show us that you can do better."

"Yes, sir, I will. I promise," Lucy immediately responded, desperate to convince Steve of the truth of her words.

Apparently, it worked, as a small smile crept on the man's face. "I have no doubt you will."

Steve studied her face and Lucy knew he'd recognized the tears earlier; they weren't easy to hide. His intense gaze seemed to cut through her – she didn't know how he or Nat did it – and she knew he immediately knew why she was so distraught.

"You're right, Peggy would most definitely not be happy with your choices today."

Lucy swallowed hard at his clear words but Steve didn't look as stern as earlier. In fact, he still smiled at her.

"But I also know that she herself got into many reckless situations – granted, not as grave as the one today – but nevertheless. She learned the importance of having a team and control over your emotions and so will you. While she'd be majorly displeased with your disobedience, she wouldn't be disappointed in you for having to learn. Quite the opposite actually, she'd be proud of you for seeing the wrong in your behavior and resolving to do better. That's everything we want from you and so far, you've lived up to our expectations."

The tears weren't going to be kept at bay anymore and Lucy started sniffling at Steve's words. She'd been convinced her grandma would've been completely appalled at her actions but Steve was so understanding she had to believe him. Before she could dry away the tears, she felt Steve's arms around her that pulled her up from the chair and engulfed her in a tight hug.

Lucy clung onto the man and cried into his shoulder while he soothingly rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down. When she quieted down, the two pulled back and Steve smiled at the girl.

"Are you okay?"

Sniffling, Lucy nodded and gave a insecure smile in return. "Thank you. Really. I don't know how you can all be this understanding and calm after what we did."

Steve sighed and tightly took her by her shoulders. "You made a mistake but you'll learn from it. The only thing that counts is that you understand the wrong you did and how to handle this in the future. Our job here, Natasha's, mine and everyone else's, is to make sure you know how to do that and what the right path is. We'll never give you up again, for nothing in this world." He smiled gently at her. "Whether you like it or not – the adoption paperwork is almost through."

Lucy grinned back at him. A year ago, the idea of having someone care about her was completely out of question, something she'd only dream about. An adoption by someone she'd admired since she could think was completely out of this world, but here she was – and it was true. It wasn't so unbelievable anymore and she recognized that she'd become more secure in her place in the family. Lucy's actions had been horrendous but at no point had she believed that they'd get rid of her – that didn't mean she wondered why they'd keep her though. If she had a kid like herself, she'd probably thrown her out by now.

With a last smile to Steve, Lucy left the office, determined to find Sam and fulfill Nat's other order. The kitchen was probably her best bet as it was almost dinner time, so she made her way downstairs. She was proven right and thankfully, Clint and Rhodey were also there, so Lucy could make good on her promise and apologize to the entire team.

When she entered the kitchen, the three men turned to face her, their expressions not angry but also not revealing any of the warmth they usually did. Lucy took a deep breath and looked up to return their looks.

"I'm sorry for sneaking onto the mission and making you all worry about me. Especially because you needed to concentrate on the mission, not run after me and save me because I didn't know what was going on or what I was doing. I'm grateful you took care of me and I promise it'll never happen again."

The men's faces relaxed and all three of them smiled now. Clint seemed like he was about to say something so Lucy quickly continued.

"Sam, I'm also sorry that I disobeyed your order to get back to the jet. I know that even though I wasn't authorized, it was still a mission and I promise I'll remember my training from now on." She carefully looked at Sam who had a satisfied smile on his face and opened his arms, which was all the invitation Lucy needed before she flung herself around his neck.

"Thank you for your apology. I trust this is not gonna happen again."

Lucy shook her head vehemently and moved to Clint who also engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Apology accepted. Please don't ever do that again. I don't think I could take the worry and I doubt Nat would find it very amusing." He grinned as Lucy's expression turned horrified at the thought of Nat's reaction to a repeat of this.

After Rhodey had also hugged and forgiven her, Lucy smiled put her hands on her sides.

"Can I help with anything?"

Rhodey nodded immediately. "Yes, please. I was about to put the vegetables on the grill but I'd be much more relaxed if you did that instead of Clint. He can set the table instead."

Everyone laughed at the other man's offended face but Sam shushed him when he tried to argue against the – completely reasonable – assumption that something would explode if he were to handle electric appliances.

Nat walked down the stairs as Tony also made his way towards the kitchen. She smiled at the other man who only sighed when he saw her.

"How'd it go?"

"About as well as you can imagine. I hate this part of parenting but thinking back to the worry they caused us, I wanted to make sure this lesson would stick." She considered him carefully. "You stayed calm?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I did, thankfully he was very remorseful. I also sent him to apologize to Cap before we started. He needed a completely clean slate."

"So did I," Natasha nodded. "She should've done it by now."

The man sighed. "I'm just glad it's over. I have the feeling this won't happen again."

Nat had to agree with him. Lucy had been very repentant and she definitely got a harsher punishment than usual. Neither of them wanted to repeat this experience.

When the two turned and could see in the kitchen, they could observe the scene in front of them. Lucy was laughing while Rhodey was tasting the sauce, obviously not to his liking and Clint offered some spice while Sam just shook his head in desperation and placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Tony grinned. "The princess of the Avengers tower."

"Oh please, you don't need to further her ego," Nat huffed. "It's big enough." She pulled him forward and entered the kitchen, making the four turn to them.

As soon as Lucy spotted Tony, she was over to him and carefully inspected his face to find any trace of anger or disappointment. There was none.

"I'm really sorry for sneaking on the mission and being so reckless. I promise it won't happen again."

Tony just smiled and embraced Lucy in a tight hug.

Slowly, the others came in for dinner, Wanda almost crushing Lucy's bones as she hugged her. Lucy was just thankful the witch didn't decide to slap her. Peter slowly sank into the seat next to her, wiggling slightly as his butt connected with the surface and he exchanged a pained look with Lucy. They really had been in this position too often by now but for some reason they needed to learn lessons the hard way. Nevertheless, Lucy was happy. Everyone had forgiven her even though stupidity had seemed to take the reins today and Nat gave her a warm smile as she passed her the salad bowl. Rhodey had been right – they got through this and they even seemed to come out stronger.


	13. Rocking the Yacht

Rocking the Yacht

Olivia's sofa had become somewhat of a refuge – no, that was the wrong word. Refuge implied happiness or at the very least security and Lucy definitely didn't feel secure. She managed to keep it together for the two weeks that she and Peter had been grounded for sneaking onto the mission to Peru, but as soon as she could go to sleepovers at Olivia's again, she went back to her old ways. It wasn't as if she hadn't been drinking at all during that time – Liv seemed to have a caught a "no fuck's given" attitude for the past few weeks as well and they skipped classes to hang out and drink. Obviously, none that Lucy shared with Wanda or Peter, because she knew exactly that even the spider would get worried about her. Lucy herself didn't think she was acting out – her parents were dead and she was growing up; it was just a normal part of life. Nat must've realized by now that the sleepovers weren't rainbows and cookies but Lucy started caring less and less. The more she got out and drunk with the girls, she easier it was to forget everything going on at the tower. That place used to be a safe space, somewhere she finally felt happy and at home but in the past few months it only served as a constant reminder that her parents were dead. Before Lucy joined the Avengers, no one cared about her family – her mother had done a good job removing herself from Peggy and Shield. She couldn't shake the feeling that Hydra targeted the Rutherfords because she drew attention to them by selfishly only thinking of herself and how training with the others would make her happy. But, she thought to herself, what's done was done, so she just drowned any more thoughts in that direction with the rest of the whiskey in her tumbler.

"We're thinking of calling over Simon, Dylan and a few others." Olivia suddenly appeared at the back of the sofa and Lucy twisted back to look at the brunette girl, no expression on her face.

"Harry might come too," Olivia added carefully but couldn't hide the amused glint in her eyes.

Lucy just sighed and rolled her eyes, too intoxicated and too lethargic to care. "Sure, whatever."

Olivia grinned. "You might actually gonna have some fun tonight."

She turned on her heel and nodded towards Heather who giggled and pressed her phone to her ear.

Lucy sighed and got up to fill her glass once more and when she returned to the sofa, Olivia had seated herself next to her, smiling politely.

"Why do you wanna distract yourself anyway? You haven't got anything terrible going on, have you?"

Olivia just shrugged. "Do I need something specific to distract myself from? Life is dull enough, really only bearable drunk and we might as well invite the guys to drown their sorrows too."

Lucy could only agree with her. Had she not always had the drive to step into her grandma's footsteps and the example of Tony and Nat to follow, she would've felt the exact same way. In fact, she was sliding down that path right now, she could feel it deep inside.

The door to the penthouse opened and Olivia grinned as she sat up straight, watching the boys come in. One of them made their way directly to the couch, having spotted the two girls immediately.

"What a beautiful night and what two beautiful ladies," he gave them a dashing smile. "You look quite comfortable there, mind if I join you?"

Olivia smiled and graciously nodded. "Of course."

Lucy just sighed before turning her head and her attention to the older student whose brown curls were almost long enough to fall into his eyes.

"Charming as always, Harry."

He only grinned. "I have definitely not seen enough of you since you moved into the Avengers tower. You only hang out with them now."

"Yeah, the pleasure of your company is a great loss in my social life." Lucy didn't know why she got even colder when she was drunk. Probably because that was actually her real self.

Harry didn't seem dismayed but instead leaned forward further so Lucy could smell his aftershave. God, he smelled good.

"If you wanna admit it or not, you missed me. Why else do you feel the need to drown yourself in –" he grabbed the bottle of bourbon and spun it round. "- Van Winkle's? Well, at least you preserved your class."

He annoyed Lucy to no end. In some ways he reminded her of Peter actually, they both had a similar, unmatched ability to drive her to desperation, yet she missed them when they weren't around. She sighed. It was like Nat always said, you get attached to your idiots. The sole reason why she'd stuck out with Clint for so long.

"My parents being dead might be an acceptable reason… don't know about you?"

Harry's face only momentarily fell but within seconds his smooth façade was back. "Not as big a loss as it could have been though. It's not like they ever cared."

Olivia sighed. "That's what I've been telling her. But if it gets her back here to her old self, I don't mind."

Harry laughed at that and a smile formed on Lucy's lips. When she sat here, with the others, a drink in her hand, it felt like no time had gone by – living at school, her parents alive and grandma just gone, the Avengers split up and no responsibility and expectations but instead the ability do whatever she wanted.

Olivia smoothly got up and with a last look to Lucy, disappeared to strike up a conversation with Carter. Lucy wasn't surprised. She'd expected these two to end up together since elementary school.

Harry watched Liv leave and then turned his attention back to Lucy, moving even closer.

"So, you're staying over here tonight?"

"What do you think?" Lucy huffed. "It's not that I could return to the tower in this state. They would probably have a fit over me drinking. Couldn't throw me out though, the adoption has gone through."

"Now that's lucky," Harry swung over to the sofa and placed an arm over Lucy shoulders. This shouldn't feel as good as it did. She thought she'd stopped this a year ago but apparently, romanticizing the past was in vogue now. Lucy turned her head to face the handsome – god, so handsome – boy.

He took a curl of her hair and playfully twisted it between his fingers.

"Feels like we've been transported back to last year. Have I become your go-to consoler now?"

"What can I say," Lucy breathed softly and sat up a little more. "You're so good at it."

With that she sunk her hand in Harry's curls and grabbed them, pulling herself closer to his body and kissing him. She could feel him smile as he returned the kiss, placed his hands on Lucy's back and pulled her closer. Lucy just gave herself to the feeling of pleasure that was so much more intense than anything she'd experienced in the past few weeks.

###

The next morning, Lucy walked back the few blocks to the tower. She hadn't taken the car because she knew that with the night she was going to have she'd need some fresh air. The walk was nice, it was late March and spring had awakened in New York. Central Park was blossoming and some birds had returned, now chirping happily in the late morning sunlight. The only problem was that walking gave her too much time to think thoughts she successfully suppressed with the alcohol. She didn't know how things would ever be different again. Nat tried to keep things going as usual but she wasn't stupid and Lucy knew that deep down her mentor was disappointed that she'd returned to her old ways – parties, alcohol and no responsibility or cares in the world. Except that one big care of her parents being dead, though the longer she lived with suppressing it, the easier it became to forget.

Lucy shook her head as she walked down Park Avenue and tried to focus on thoughts that didn't relate to people who were dead. She was quite happy with how last night went. She really made the most of it, she thought with a grin. Harry was good company and since they were going to fly out to Malibu tomorrow morning for the Easter holidays, she might as well use all the chances she got of getting away from her family and drowning her sorrows. As soon as they stepped on that plane Lucy was going to be watched by everyone like a hawk. She knew the adults weren't stupid and figured out by now that her coping mechanisms weren't exactly compatible with the rules. She huffed to herself. Those were stupid anyway but she knew living at the tower was better than living alone so she had to follow them whether she liked it or not. With the adoption gone through, Lucy wondered whether Nat was going to let her go anyway like she said back in autumn – probably not. If Lucy was being honest with herself, their relationship had changed so much since then anyway – it felt much more settled than all those months ago.

She breathed in deeply when she finally got to the tower. The back entrance was empty as always – especially on holidays. When the elevator stopped at the common room and Lucy stepped into the open area, a few heads turned. Pepper was directing Bruce and Sam who were packing two big boxes – probably things Pep thought essential in Malibu as well. Nat managed a small smile when she saw Lucy.

"How was the sleepover?"

Lucy smiled politely, something she never used to do at the tower before but it was good to fake happiness now.

"It was great to see the gang one last time before the holidays."

Nat nodded and Tony stepped out of the kitchen at that point. He didn't even smile when he saw her but Lucy instead noticed the look he and Natasha shared. Pepper directed Bruce and Sam to the elevator to stow away the boxes in the cars which would take them to LaGuardia tomorrow.

Lucy had the distinct feeling Tony was about to say something so she just waited expectantly. She wasn't wrong.

"The sleepover was fun?"

Lucy knew from the tone of his voice that he knew exactly what happened. Obviously, she thought with a wonky grin – he'd done it himself often enough and it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for her in the past few weeks.

"Yeah, it was," she answered in almost a challenging tone. Let him come at her, she had nothing to apologize for.

Tony sighed and Lucy had to admit it wasn't easy to see him like that. He, who was usually so carefree and relaxed.

"Lucy, I know how things are going right now. I know it's difficult but the way that you're dealing with them isn't right."

Lucy's expression darkened. So, he was really going there. As if he could judge her, tell her what to do.

"You think so? Really?" She couldn't stop herself from sounding very impertinent.

Tony took a deep breath but she knew he wasn't yet upset. Lucy could feel Nat behind her tense up though. But she would go further if they pushed her.

"I understand what you're going through, I really do and you know that."

Lucy gave a small nod, but the dark expression didn't leave her face.

"But you have everyone in this tower who wants to help you get through this. You don't need to turn to the alcohol to forget. You know exactly that that's not the right way to deal with this."

Yeah, Lucy thought grimly, as if he could tell her how to deal with these problems in a healthy way.

"Oh, isn't it?" she almost spat. "I thought that was exactly the way you went about it and now you want to tell me what I can't do? You're being a hypocrite. We all know the shit you got up to when you were my age, so don't try and act all high and mighty. I don't need a discussion on morality, I thought we had Steve for that!" She couldn't help but get louder and louder the angrier she got. She also felt Nat stepping closer to her but she didn't care. Not anymore. "What did you do, huh? Did you deal with it in the right way? Cause I think you did quite a lot worse than me, to be honest. You're the last person to tell me how to work through this!"

Tony looked completely taken aback. Not even he had expected this outburst and although he didn't seem completely outraged, Lucy definitely saw some hurt in his eyes. Good, she thought satisfied, serves him right for trying to mess with her life.

"Lucy!" Nat's voice was clear and Lucy could hear the outrage in it. "That's enough. Stop this aggressiveness and insolence right now, apologize and listen to him."

But she didn't want to listen anyone anymore. Heatedly, she spun around and glared at her mentor with more fury than she usually dared. "Seriously? You want me to listen to him and turn out the same way?"

For a fraction of a second, Lucy actually thought Nat seemed ready to slap her on the spot. Her eyes glistened dangerously and there was type of anger reflected in them that Lucy had never seen before. When the older woman just pressed her lips into a thin line, Lucy rushed out before anyone could say another word, brushing past her mentor and angrily pushing the button for the elevator doors to open.

Nat didn't follow Lucy out but instead turned to Tony, a mixture of anger and apology on her face.

"Tony, I'm so sorry, I didn't think she'd be this out of line."

He only waved his hand. "Don't apologize. I mean," he gave a wonky smile. "She's not wrong."

"No, she is," Nat immediately intervened in a serious voice. "You are not your past. Believe me, if that were the case, I should've dug my own grave years ago."

She threw another worried look to the elevator. "One part of me wants to go after her, kick her ass and make her understand but the other part knows that she needs to come to terms with the situation herself. But I just can't keep sitting here, letting her make grave mistakes and not follow up on it."

Tony managed a small smile and put an arm around the spy's shoulders. He hated seeing her so upset and it was quite unsettling. Nat usually was the one who seemed like she had everything under control.

"I know exactly what you mean. So far, there haven't been any big mistakes we haven't dealt with though. We just got to wait and hope that she comes to her senses before something major happens." He trailed off and Nat threw him a questioning look. He gave a pained smile back as he continued. "Or maybe it takes the last straw that breaks the camel's back. The only thing we can do is to wait and see."

###

The flight to Malibu was calm as always since there weren't any great water masses to cross. They'd taken the large jet that fit everyone and Lucy was quietly sitting in the back with Wanda and Peter, reading Dostoevsky and minding her own business. The atmosphere had been tense since her argument with Tony; Nat was barely talking to her but Lucy didn't feel like talking to her anyway. They'd definitely told the others (because the adults were so worse at gossiping than the kids) as Steve had given her a strange look at dinner. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time that people were angry with her. Granted, it was the first time at the tower that she had stepped out of line this much without rectifying things immediately, but it was more in character for her. She'd tried to be good for the past few months at the tower but apparently there was a limit to her behaving herself. Going astray was just the normal path for her and trying to be the perfect little girl that met Nat's high expectations wasn't for her. It was liberating, Lucy grinned as she turned the page. She didn't have to try and fulfill the adults' hopes for her – at this point she was sure there weren't any left anyway.

"Did you do the character analysis for Raskolnikov yet?" Wanda looked up from her laptop and slightly leaned over.

Lucy shook her head no. "I have notes on it and the basic structure but I didn't write it up yet. I started with Dunya and Sonya."

Wanda grinned. "Fancy exchanging those for Raskolnikov?"

"Sure," Lucy nodded. "What title have you chosen for the essay?"

"I'll talk about Svidrigailov's death and whether it was dignified." Wanda sighed. "To be honest, I find this entire book completely depressing."

"Same," Lucy agreed. "You know, I could've done French but because of you I chose Russian literature. I hope you're grateful," she added with a dry grin.

"Don't talk shit, you like Russian," Wanda huffed, not believing Lucy for a second. "There's no way in hell you wouldn't have done it." She turned back to her laptop. "Anyway, what's your essay about?"

Lucy grinned; Wanda just knew her too well. "I'm analysing freedom and its value. Thought that was quite interesting." She turned back to the book and picked the pencil up again to return to scribbling notes in the margins.

Peter had been sitting still during the entire conversation but as both girls returned to their work he spoke up.

"You know, it's really scary to hear you two talk in Russian. I'm guessing and hoping it's about your essays but you might as well be talking about murdering me. The tone of voice is about the same." 

Neither Lucy nor Wanda could keep it together at his innocent observation and erupted into laughter. Russian was great if they wanted to make sure Peter didn't understand what they were talking about but it was also just easier to talk about their Russian class in the language.

The touchdown on the Stark Industries airfield in Malibu was quiet and unagitated and as soon as Lucy stepped out the plane, she felt the warm California sun on her skin. She briefly closed her eyes and let her pale skin, marked by the dark New York winter, soak up some much-needed vitamin D.

The car ride up to Point Dume was quick as well and Lucy was thankful for it. Every minute in the presence of the adults who kept judging her constantly was too much. When they got to the house, she immediately went to her room and unpacked until she was called to dinner by JARVIS. A holiday with the entire family was usually relaxing but not in the current atmosphere. Lucy sat down quietly, determined to ignore everyone's thoughts about her and just concentrated on her plate.

"We've got to be ready by 5pm tomorrow," Pep suddenly announced and Lucy looked up in surprise.

She wasn't the only caught off-guard, as Peter, Clint, Steve, Bruce and Sam sported the same expression.

Pepper only rolled her eyes. "The Easter function? Up at the Westlake Village Inn? I told you about a thousand times."

Lucy remembered something in the back of her mind and nodded.

"It's gonna be a dinner and the usual, but we really can't be late for this, so everyone," she narrowed her eyes at Tony, "has got to be ready at 5pm."

Tony sported a perfectly innocent expression and nodded enthusiastically, as did everyone else. Lucy only sighed. Another lame function where she had to put up her public face and pretend everything was fine. Just like usual and just how the rest of her life was going to be. Perfect practice. She finished dinner early and excused herself, disappearing into her room and dragging out her laptop. Maybe some hacking would make her feel better – codes usually cheered her up.

###

This function was even more mind-numbingly boring than they usually were. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, Thousand Oaks showed herself in all her beauty but it didn't alleviate the tedious conversations. Dinner had gone by pretty smoothly and now all that was left was nice small talk for hours. Lucy kept rolling her eyes every five minutes. Nat was good at it – part of spy training, obviously – and in between ignoring her, she'd thrown her the odd warning glance. Wanda and Peter felt the same way, Lucy was sure of it, so when she just couldn't take it anymore and a glance to her watch confirmed that there'd be at least two more hours of this, she decided on trying something more fun. All the adults were caught up in conversations so it was easy to pull Peter and Wanda aside and outside to the large garden surrounding the venue.

Wanda looked at her indignantly but Lucy knew she was grateful to get away from the people inside.

"I have an idea," Lucy started and as always, the witch rolled her eyes while Peter encouraged her to go on.

She grinned. "I know you're bored, Wanda. Let's go for a walk. No one is gonna miss us. They'll know we needed some air."

Peter looked towards Wanda and the redhead nodded immediately. Her drive to get away from these people seemed to be strong enough.

Lucy led the others through the park and down the road towards the lake. Even though the sun had already begun to set, it was still warm, curtesy to the Southern California climate. Even Thousand Oaks was quiet on Easter Sunday night, so the kids were undisturbed as they strolled through the area. The houses were beautiful, the weather amazing and Lucy was reminded once more that even though she was a New Yorker through and through, there was something about the West Coast that made her fall in love with it. She definitely made a good L.A. girl and if MIT hadn't been a given for her, she would've applied to college here.

The kids stopped outside the iron fence and Wanda threw Lucy a questioning look who only smiled in response before turning to judge the gate with a measuring eye.

"What exactly are you planning on doing?"

Lucy had already climbed the fence and gracefully landed on the other side. "I thought we could take one of these pretty boats for a little tour of the lake."

Wanda shook her head immediately and didn't move from her place outside the gate as if she'd sprouted roots while Peter had already jumped as well and waited for the other girl expectantly.

"We can't do this. This is stealing!"

"We're just borrowing, Wanda!" Peter tried to convince her. "It's not like we're keeping it. We're just taking it for a spin."

The witch sighed but Lucy put on her rational voice that always worked. "It's a lake, Wanda. It's not the ocean, we can't go far. It's 10pm on Easter Sunday, there's no one around." She cocked her head. "They're all on holiday and remember, I know how to navigate these yachts."

Wanda sighed heavily but a look towards the boats confirmed to her that they were quite small and thus easy to sail, so she finally climbed the gate and easily made it to the other side.

Lucy grinned. Training with the Avengers and with a spy also meant that they knew how to get places without leaving traces and climbing a fence was a warm-up exercise, nothing to break a sweat over. Also, she was in the mood for some fun on the water – especially after this boring function. Why in the world Pepper insisted they'd all have to attend was beyond her.

It wasn't hard to locate a small catboat Lucy felt comfortable commandeering. Comfortable was perhaps the wrong word – she'd only done it once before and that was more observing than doing things herself. Still, it all came back to simple physics and she was good at that.

Peter jumped on, less than elegantly, and even Wanda looked quite excited as she got on the small yacht. Lucy toyed with the ropes and hoisted the sails with ease – that part she was quite sure about – and managed to navigate the boat out of its place in the small harbor.

The wind had actually gotten a little stronger, allowing the boat to sail smoothly across the water. Lucy yanked the tiller to the right and the boat made a sharp turn and started the first round. The lake was laid out like a racecourse; there were houses in the middle that all had access to the lake itself. Great for everyone with homes here, less conducive to facilitating civilized sailing – to Lucy it meant she could go faster and faster with each round, trying to beat her own record. The wind seemed to agree with her, it got stronger and stronger, becoming quite impressive for Southern California.

Peter watched her navigate the yacht and she let him try it out for a bit when they went down one of the long sides. He learned quickly and they both had great fun. Wanda had relaxed as well and laid sprawled out on the front cover, enjoying the breeze that gliding quickly across the water created. Lucy grinned, very pleased with herself that she'd once again rescued all of them from the hell of boring functions. It was typical Wanda behavior – first putting up a fight and pretending to be Steve's perfect little girl and as soon as Lucy's or Peter's idea turned out to be fun, shutting up and enjoying herself. She wouldn't have traded the witch for the world, it was all part of the fun.

With how much fun they were having, the kids didn't realize how dark it had already gotten. Lucy felt more free than at any point in the past weeks in NYC since her parents died. Maybe Malibu would help settle the rest of the lingering hurt she still held inside. Though, she thought grimly, it'd be easier to do that without everyone else around. Here, on the water, commandeering a boat as if it was her own, she felt in control and independent. Maybe that's where she'd gone wrong. Maybe independent should have been the way to go, but in some stupid, childish instance of weakness, she clung onto Natasha. She should've thought about it like Matthew suggested – he knew her better than anyone else and he probably knew that she would make rash decisions. He should've made her think about it, not take the first words out of her mouth as gospel. But what's done is done, so she grabbed the line tighter and held onto the titter as she sped up.

Peter's eyes lit up as the breeze got stronger. "Can you try and go quicker around that corner? It's like drifting in a car."

Lucy nodded, concentrated and yanked the yacht around the corner at a breakneck pace. Wanda squealed as she was almost flung off the front and scrambled up and next to Lucy's side. Peter started laughing uncontrollably and even though Wanda tried to stay mad, she couldn't help but grin. The two held onto the sides of the boat as Lucy kept accelerating.

"Don't you think you wanna slow down a bit?" Wanda gasped as the boat rushed into another round, faster than in any before. Lucy only shook her head with a smile on her face as she got the last out of the small yacht and they glided down the long side.

"Go left!" Peter suddenly yelled and, completely surprised, Lucy yanked the line and titter and the boat only narrowly made it around corner and onto the short side. It had gotten so dark that Lucy misjudged the length of the lake and the speed of the boat didn't help. Wanda's knuckles had gotten white as she held onto the side tightly and threw the other girl a half-scared, half-shocked look. Lucy didn't see it though, she tried to concentrate on getting the boat back under control. The short side was far too short for the pace they were going at and Peter shouted again, so she jerked the boat around the next corner. Lucy tried to get the titter back in line but she had been pulling too hard and suddenly she heard a loud crack and the tuck from the other side disappeared.

"What are you doing?" Wanda shrieked as Lucy grabbed the line with both hands, her only method of controlling the yacht now.

"I'm trying to get this boat to slow down," Lucy hissed back through gritted teeth.

Peter tried to keep his balance on the tumbling yacht. "We need to stop it somehow, we'll crash into the harbor!"

"I can't control where we're going anymore, genius!" Her voice had gotten louder and Lucy gave up trying to sound like she knew what she was doing.

Wanda pointed ahead – Lucy actually commended her for not having closed her eyes and starting to pray already. "Try and get to that little island!"

It was a good idea. There was no building on it and the island itself was slightly removed from the houses surrounding the lake.

Right before passing by it, Lucy yanked the line and with a deafening crash, the yacht moved over the stones that surrounded the island, but it didn't stop. It was too fast, so it shot over the green and came to a halt as it collided with the large tree in the middle. The front of the boat was completely smashed and Lucy realized how lucky they'd been that it was quite a long boat – had they'd been any closer to the front, they would've felt the tree as well.

For a split second, the kids sat in shock but it didn't last long. Lights were turned on in the houses closest to them and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Lucy looked towards Peter and Wanda who only now seemed to realize what exactly just happened.

###

They'd been sitting on the uncomfortable wooden bench in the police station for some time now, waiting for one of the officers to come over and deal with them. Even in a neighborhood like Thousand Oaks, there seemed to be some crime on Easter Sunday nights. Lucy had her gaze focused on her lap, not wanting to see the expressions of the others. She knew Wanda was probably freaking out at this point and Peter had looked more worried than ever before when they were seated down here.

Heavy footsteps announced the broad-shouldered cop who had introduced himself as Officer Helton when he had taken them into custody at the lake. Lucy still didn't move her head but she could feel him looking down at them.

"Onto you kids then… stealing a yacht, hm? Nothing good on TV?"

When he got no response, just like he'd expected, he continued. "I need your names and your address. We've got to get your parents in."

Neither Peter nor Wanda said anything, so Lucy lifted her head and took a deep breath before looking at the officer.

"My name's Lucy Rutherford," she started and set her face in stone. "My parents are dead, you might've read about it in the papers."

Recognition dawned on the Helton's face and he nodded. "Lucy Rutherford, huh? What are we gonna do with you then?"

Lucy waited expectantly and Wanda and Peter looked up as well, the slight hope on their face now that they might after all get out of this unscathed.

But the officer didn't seem particularly impressed. "Who's responsible for you then?" 

When his tone didn't change at all, Lucy's expression darkened. She'd expected her name to change this situation completely. After all, they wouldn't arrest someone from such a prominent family.

"Listen kiddos," Helton got sterner and Lucy's frown deepened. "I don't want to be at this all night. You're going to give me the name of someone I can contact right now. I have no problem throwing all of you in a cell overnight if you don't want to cooperate."

He must've caught Lucy's expression as a small smile formed on his lips. "I'm a police officer in Malibu, you're not the first offspring of the rich and famous to get into trouble here. And believe me, you're not getting special treatment because of your last name so you better open your mouth now or you'll be spending the night locked up here."

Sighing, Lucy had to admit she'd been beaten at her own game and with a look to Wanda and Peter, they all realized they had to resign themselves to their fate.

Peter cleared his throat. "I'm Peter Parker, you can call Tony Stark. He's responsible."

Helton smiled. "The Tony Stark! Now that's something." He grinned at Lucy before turning towards the reception desk.

She was taken aback but couldn't help but be amused at his humor. Police officers were like the military – they were funny. Realizing that Helton was on the phone to Tony right now and he'd turn up here within minutes, bringing Steve and Nat with him, however, wiped the smile off her face.

Lucy tried to understand her feelings. She wasn't scared of anything Nat would do, although she knew that her mentor would be furious. But she'd given up trying to impress or satisfy her, so this really wasn't more than a bump in the road. She'd get a thrashing, be grounded and then it'd be over. Nothing much to worry about. She stopped and swallowed. Her stomach was still fluttering and she did have to admit to herself that not even sneaking on a mission was as bad as this – she'd never been arrested before. If she was being honest, it was exciting. Almost a rite of passage for someone from her circle. Didn't Nat want her to turn out like Tony? There, she thought, goal achieved.

Helton returned from the phone and looked down onto the kids. "Stark is on his way to pick you up and he's bringing your guardians as well. They were already worrying where you'd wandered off to." He looked at Lucy and Wanda directly before eyeing all of them sternly again. "He didn't sound very amused. Boy, do I not want to be in your shoes."

Lucy felt Wanda next to her slump but it really wasn't news. Of course, they'd be angry and obviously they worried – the adults always did, no matter how small what happened was.

Over Helton's shoulder, Lucy could see another kid, about their own age, brought in and led directly to one of the cells. Her confused look didn't go unnoticed by the officer once again and he turned to watch the other kid before he faced her.

"He's one of the homeless kids that camp around here. It's pretty mild weather, better than down by the beach, but they're not allowed to stay in the town. It's all residential areas and the people living here don't exactly want someone sleeping on their doorstep – or be reminded of the poverty surrounding us." He gave Lucy a long look, though not unfriendly. It stirred something akin to empathy for the other boy inside of her. New York was full of homeless people, as was any other city she'd ever seen, but she never came across them on the same level. She was always on her way to her own apartment when she passed them and after she walked by, it was 'out of sight, out of mind'. Sitting in this police station, she was basically transported to his position but with one big difference. She was about to be picked up and taken back to the house (granted, with Judgment Day looming, but still, she had a roof over her head) while he spent the night here – possibly a major improvement of his sleeping condition.

Lucy looked back up at Helton who offered a small, sad smile. "Why is he sleeping out here – why are any of them?"

The officer shrugged his shoulders. "There's different reasons. He stated that he got kicked out, some don't have parents anymore, others don't get along. Some moved away, try and make it on their own, there's a myriad of issues. When you work this job as long as I have, you know there's nothing impossible."

With another look towards the other cell in which the scrawny boy had lied down by now, Lucy swallowed hard.

"I know your parents have passed recently and I'm sorry for that," Helton addressed her once more with an intense look. "But it seems like you still got people caring about you. You probably don't perceive it like that right now, but you're lucky. Others aren't that fortunate."

Lucy looked up at the man and felt some tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She wasn't going to cry in this police station but she connected with what the officer said. It was annoying to recognize that she wasn't as independent as she would like, especially since she had no idea how to get things back to normal with Nat and the others.

Helton turned towards the entrance and the kids followed his gaze to see Tony, Steve and Natasha enter the hallway. Lucy wisely decided to avoid everyone's stare and only flicked a short look at Nat. It was useless, her mentor's face didn't reveal any emotion.

"Thank you for coming in," Helton greeted the adults before waiving towards the kids. "They're all unharmed. You finished up all the paperwork?"

Steve nodded gravely. "Yes, we did. Thank you, officer." He threw a look towards the kids and Lucy made the mistake of glancing up. That hurt. "I'm very sorry for the disturbance they caused tonight. No one was hurt?" 

The officer shook his head. "No, it was a quiet night. The residents had a little shock but that's it."

Tony nodded curtly and focused his eyes on Peter who was determined not to meet them. Sighing, he just extended his arm and grabbed the boy's shoulder, pulling him to stand. Wanda jumped up at that and was by Steve's side in seconds who placed a hand on her arm and held her tight.

Lucy looked up at Nat who still didn't move a muscle in her face and got up slowly, moving to her mentor's side. She looked back towards Helton who watched the entire group.

"I trust nothing like this will happen again."

"We'll make sure of that," Steve responded immediately and Lucy's heart sank slightly at his tone of voice.

She swallowed but looked up when Helton continued. "You're good kids. Don't waste the opportunities you've got." He looked directly at Lucy who bit her lip and gave a slight nod.

Helton opened the door to let them out of the station, first Tony with Peter, then Steve and Wanda and lastly, Nat and Lucy. When she passed the officer, she looked up to meet his eyes and offered a small smile.

"Thank you, Sir," she said softly and he returned her smile before Nat placed a hand on her back and led her out into the dark night.

Happy had brought the big car that fit all of them and Lucy caught his expression through the rear mirror. He'd never looked more disappointed. She felt another punch to her gut – she hadn't expected to let this many people down today, it was all supposed to be a bit of fun.

The car ride was quiet and tense. None of the adults said a word and none of the kids felt particularly chatty. Lucy was trying to keep her thoughts from the impending discussion. She'd rather move directly to the discipline but she knew full well that Nat would not let this slide without thoroughly talking it through. Lucy sighed inaudibly and turned her head towards the window to watch the houses, tall and dark in the pitch-black night, fly by.

Happy had been driving pretty close to the speed limit and they got home in record time. Once more, the adults didn't say much, Steve only ordered the kids to the living room in a low, authoritative voice and they didn't exactly feel like disobeying so they hurried there and crashed on the couch.

Lucy didn't look at her fellow conspirators as she couldn't help feeling bad. Not necessarily about taking and crashing the boat – that was too much fun and no one got hurt – but about dragging both of them into trouble. She managed to keep both of them out by only drinking and skipping class when they weren't around to avoid putting them into a messy situation where they might had to lie. She knew they followed her of their own volition but, she was the one who'd come up with the idea in the first place. Not even Peter would've thought of taking a yacht – a bit out of his league. Lucy sighed – their guardians let them stew for longer than usual. Whether that was because they wanted them to get nervous or whether they had to talk about their fate, she didn't know. Finally, the glass door to the living room opened and the three adults walked in, unreadable expressions on their faces but with very determined body language instead. They sat down on the other sofa and Steve started.

"First, we couldn't find you at the function. Well, we thought, they just went outside to get some air. They're sixteen after all, we don't need to watch their every step."

Not a good start, Lucy thought. This was going to go down the road of responsibility very soon.

"When Tony got a call from the police station saying all three of you were there, brought in because you crashed a yacht, we couldn't believe it."

"I don't even own a yacht on that lake," Tony continued. "So, we thought they couldn't be serious until they told us that it was stolen. At that point we thought they for sure must have the wrong kids."

Lucy could feel both Wanda and Peter on each side of her slide further into the couch. She didn't move. It was the same psycho tricks as always – 'but you're so much better than this'. Yeah, whatever. It wasn't true. Every single adult in this house knew by now that Lucy wasn't gonna live up to their expectations. Everything that happened since her parents' death showed her that her perfect behavior in the months prior was completely out of character. She wasn't good, she was messed up and she'd keep messing up.

"Why did you take that yacht? I don't imagine there to be a reasonable excuse, but I want to know what your thought process was, if any." Steve's tone had become quite tense and Lucy could definitely hear the restraint he had to exercise. This was bad.

Wanda sunk deeper and deeper and Lucy felt for her. It was never fun when your mentor was the one who was particularly angry but Wanda also cared extremely about Steve's opinion. Unlike Lucy who'd given up trying to follow Nat in any way. She wouldn't let either her or Peter sink so she forced her eyes up to meet Steve's stern gaze.

"It was my fault. I convinced them to come with me and Wanda didn't want to get on. She only came with to minimize the damage." Her voice sounded stronger than she felt and even though she didn't really mean to, her look at Steve was challenging – which seemed to be the wrong call.

Nat pressed her lips together and let her face sink into its stone-cold expression, while Tony huffed.

"That worked out well, didn't it?"

Steve's frown got deeper and he fixed his gaze on Wanda. "If that's the case, then why didn't you call us the moment you realized that you were going on someone else's boat? I like to think I instilled enough moral sense in you for you to know that that's completely unacceptable."

Wanda sunk her head further and took in a quivering breath and Lucy felt that her friend was close to tears.

Steve turned to her now. "And I have no doubt that you were the instigator behind this little excursion. With your track record over the past couple of weeks that is more than believable."

Lucy had never heard Steve sound so cold, angry and disappointed. They'd messed up badly before – the mission incident last month being on top of that list – but something about this seemed to bother him even more. She didn't want to let them, but his words hurt her. Because she knew they were true and because some part of her, deep down still cared about his opinion, no matter how much she tried not to let it affect her. The look he gave them after they'd snuck on the mission was nothing compared to this.

Steve was incredibly agitated. When Lucy and Peter snuck on a mission, he was disappointed, but this was even worse. Not just because Lucy didn't seem to understand the gravity of her actions but because it was the culmination of her behavior during the past months. None of them had been able to help her deal with her parents' death and while he was outraged at Lucy's choices, a part of him also felt angry at Tony, Nat and himself. It wasn't completely the girl's fault, they should've been able to handle her, but they couldn't and they were letting Peggy down – Lucy had never behaved this way before, especially not for such a prolonged period of time. They had to face facts. She wasn't going to find back to herself on her own; they needed to help her.

Lucy swallowed hard and now Tony fixed a stern gaze on the three of them.

"Thankfully, I was able to deal with the repercussions of your actions. The owners of that yacht were satisfied with me paying them off and decided not to press charges."

Wanda sucked in a sharp breath and Peter flinched while Lucy's eyes shot up – which was a bad reflex as all three adults still eyed them disappointedly. She hadn't thought of the fact that whoever owned that boat could have a case against them in law. Getting arrested was one thing but having to go to court? That was another level altogether. Her stomach clenched at the thought that had Tony not been able to deal with this, a criminal record could've been the consequence. Stealing something valuable was a felony, if she remembered correctly.

Lucy didn't know whether Tony hadn't seen her shocked expression or if he was just so fed up with her behavior – probably the latter – but he didn't change his tone at all, if anything, he got harsher.

"We also promised them that we would handle this situation and deliver appropriate consequences so that it would never happen again."

That didn't sound promising and Lucy took in a hitched breath as Steve continued.

"We only agreed on deciding to pay them off and not let this get to court, because we wanted to avoid the media circus, but believe me, you're not getting off easy because of that." If the kids didn't know and trust Steve, he would've seemed threatening. Lucy couldn't bear his gaze anymore and sunk her head. It was the right choice as Nat, who'd been silent up till now, spoke up and Lucy could hear a world of disappointment and anger in her voice.

"You would've gotten community service in court, so this is what we're going to do. You'll do ten hours per week for the next five weeks, starting as soon as we return to New York."

It was only the tone of Nat's voice that kept Lucy from talking back. She didn't have time to do that much, she had lab work as well, let alone Olivia's get togethers. But she knew Nat wasn't going to tolerate any backchat and she'd find a way around it – she always did.

"This doesn't seem like much, especially compared to what you would've gotten in court, but we're also upping your training hours." Nat was completely stern and sober and Lucy was reminded of her grandma. Peggy never had reason to speak to her like that, but Lucy heard her talk to other people in the same tone. Her mentor's words were sobering. This seemed to cut deeper than she'd thought – she'd expected maybe ten hours of community service. And increasing the training hours? Again, she wasn't arguing, but she started to realize the direction this was going.

Nat's tone was strict and every one of the kids knew she wouldn't tolerate any arguments at this point. "Apparently, you have a lot of energy to burn if the first thing you think to do in your free time is joyride on someone else's yacht. We don't need to ground you on top of that which is good, because you'd have more time to sit around and think of your exploits. This way you won't have time to come up with anything stupid, because you'll either be in school, volunteering or training."

Lucy was stunned and so were Peter and Wanda. Her stomach turned at Nat's tone which was almost threatening and Lucy felt she approached some limit to her patience now. She also realized that the next few weeks, possibly months, would not be easy. Her mentor was in no joking mood and neither of the adults would be for quite some time. It'd take ages to repair the trust, that was clear now. Lucy stopped her thought process. She was thinking of restoring trust that she thought she didn't have and want – with every word out of Nat's mouth she realized that it wasn't true. She'd managed to suppress it for months but there was no use in it anymore. She had to admit that she yearned for her mentor's praise and support, no matter how much she tried to shake that desire. Slowly, the words sank in and her actions that evening caught up with her – and just how horrible they'd been. Lucy took in a quivering breath and tried to keep it together. She wasn't going to break down with everyone else in the room.

Nat continued and Lucy knew her mentor saw her changing expression. The fact that she didn't change her tone of voice, like Tony, and continued in a hard-hearted manner was testament to how badly they'd messed up. No inches would be given at this point and Lucy didn't really feel like arguing. Natasha was about to slip into her agent voice – she didn't want to experience that.

"I should probably clarify that if you think you can still handle parties, that's off limits. Your curfew is strict and that is non-negotiable like everything we're talking about tonight. You're in deep enough, I caution all of you not to push us any further."

She looked directly at Lucy with those words and the girl had to swallow nervously. She wondered, for the first time in weeks, how she let her relationship deteriorate this far. Nat must really think the worst of her and Lucy couldn't really blame her. Peter and Wanda were very still – they had never experienced Natasha like this. To be fair, even to Lucy it felt like a punch in the gut. This was all on a completely new level.

"I'll be giving all of you smart watches that can track you," Tony continued and Lucy had the inkling that she really wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"We won't do that all the time, only when we think you are in danger or in trouble."

The kids were slightly taken aback but especially Peter and Wanda were far too remorseful to argue against anything.

"Those watches can be taken off but should any of you do that without permission or tinker with them," he threw a warning glance to Lucy who once again wondered how well they all knew her, "then I'll put them on permanently."

Lucy huffed and mumbled softly. "Tagged like a stray dog."

She didn't think she was loud enough for anyone to hear her, but she once again underestimated Nat as her mentor fixed her eyes on her. She'd heard her perfectly.

"You are in no position to argue against this. First you sneak on a mission where we could've located you much quicker with this watch and now you stole a yacht where you were once again lucky that no one was hurt. We don't want to rely on that luck anymore." Nat hadn't started screaming, she didn't get loud or yell but her tone of voice was no-nonsense and as stern as ever.

Lucy didn't understand why she herself was so upset about the idea of that watch and much less what got into her. "Maybe it's not just luck," she muttered almost inaudibly but once again, she was understood by everyone.

Peter and Wanda couldn't believe their ears from their body language and probably shook their heads internally that Lucy would continue this defiance. Wanda tensed up next to her, awaiting the adults' reaction.

Nat's voice got low and calm, more so than ever before and almost scared Lucy – she'd never heard it like that.

"What was that?" she asked and Lucy had enough sense in her not to respond, let alone look up. She kept very still and distinctly felt Steve and Tony's disapproving looks.

For a few moments, no one said a word before Steve spoke again.

"I think we said everything there is to say. Wanda?"

It wasn't a question, but an order and the redhead was at her mentor's side in the fraction of a second and the two disappeared. Tony nodded to Peter who looked up for the first time since they sat down on that sofa and both left the room after Tony and Nat exchanged a look.

Lucy had sunk deeper and deeper into the couch. She didn't want to get up, she didn't want to face any of the consequences and she definitely didn't want to see Natasha's face now. The only thing she wanted was to get out of this house, take a plane to somewhere else and live a life where she didn't have to talk to anyone currently in this house ever again. Or have the ground open up and swallow her– either one would be acceptable.

Natasha cleared her throat softly and Lucy knew she was pushing every single button. Apparently, her guardian realized that she wasn't going to move so Nat stepped closer and grabbed Lucy's arm, pulling her up. It wasn't a harsh or unfriendly grip – what Lucy had expected – but instead stabilizing and calming. She got up, knees weak and still not able to look into Natasha's eyes but made her way up to her room.

Once they got through the door, Nat directly steered Lucy into an empty corner and placed her there, silently, without a single word. Lucy was mortified – made to stand in the corner like a five-year-old. But she wasn't able to get a word out, much less argue, so she just quietly stood still. After she took a few deep breaths, she was able to reflect on why she was there. Definitely not because Nat had to calm down – she had the best control over her emotions anyone had ever had. A thousand thoughts raced through her head; regret over her actions today and during the past few weeks, the desire to rectify things but not knowing how, having to admit that she wanted to be a part of this family, anxiety that she'd squandered her place forever (after all, Nat could just put her in boarding school as well) but there was more. Tears formed in her eyes when she realized that this all started with her parents' death. Something Lucy thought wouldn't affect her much, but against all expectations it did. She hadn't dealt with it – or she had but in the completely wrong way. She was upset and angry and used it to excuse stepping totally out of line. Her head and shoulders sunk and all tension left her body at that realization.

After Nat had placed the girl in the corner, she went over to the bed to sit down. She watched her protégé and took a few deep breaths. Lucy had to understand herself exactly what happened tonight and Nat knew that that had started downstairs already even though she needed to continue strictly to highlight the severity. But Lucy also needed to understand that she had to deal with her parent's death and that it was affecting her more than she wanted to admit. When the girl's shoulders sank and all tension left her body, Nat sighed inaudibly. This is what she'd been waiting for, so she called her over.

Lucy heard Natasha, but it wasn't easy for her to move. Knowing that stalling the inevitable wouldn't last forever, she took in a breath and turned, keeping her eyes firmly on the floor even as she sat down next to her mentor. When Nat reached and lifted her chin, she flinched. She didn't want to show the tears in her eyes and she also didn't want to see whatever emotion was in her Nat's eyes. There wasn't any fury in them, surprisingly, but instead disappointment, intensity and even warmth. Lucy tried to get her emotions under control by breathing but it didn't help. Nat placed her arms around her and Lucy returned the hug, making Nat hold her even tighter and finally, Lucy let go and dissolved into sobs. She hadn't realized it but this was the first time since her parents' death that she actually cried about it. It took long for her to release everything but Nat's presence was enough to keep her from completely falling to pieces. Slowly, the sobs quieted down and finally subsided completely. The two pulled back and Nat looked at Lucy intensely and wiped a few remaining tears away.

Lucy knew Nat would want to talk more but she couldn't keep it in anymore. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry for everything, I just couldn't comprehend what was going on with me and I did so many stupid things and I'm so sorry for the way I talked to you and-," she rambled on before Natasha stopped her.

"Slow down, Lucy. We'll get to everything but we'll do this one after the other. There's quite a lot to get through." The stern tone wasn't lost on the girl and she was quite nervous but she already felt better. They'd talk through this, she wasn't going to be abandoned (though she would've given up on her by now) and everything would be okay – though getting there was going to be hard.

"I want to make sure you understand the gravity of your actions today. You stole a yacht, you took that yacht out for a ride without knowing how to sail one, on a lake witch houses around and crashed it, completely totaled it, and out of sheer dumb luck, no one was hurt."

Lucy sunk her head again and Nat kept silent for a moment to let her words sink in. She avoided thinking about it so far but hearing her actions and their consequences laid out so plainly forced her to face facts. She didn't know how she ever justified her behavior but she sure couldn't think of anything now. It was just complete disregard for not only the rules but the law out of pure boredom. Admitting to that was difficult but there was no other way – she had to face the consequences now, no matter how awkward they might be. Her actions had been far more embarrassing and childish and nothing could be worse than that, things could only go uphill from here.

Natasha must've followed her thought process as she continued. "I trust you remember our conversation after you stole one of Tony's car back in the fall?"

Lucy turned pale at that and her stomach performed a flip. She did remember – vividly.

"What did I say to you?"

Of course, Nat would want her to explain. And Lucy wasn't going to argue – not anymore. So, with her voice trembling she spoke up.

"You said that if something like that happened again, the discipline then would look like a warm-up."

"Correct." Natasha's voice was somber and almost sad. Lucy kept her head down. She didn't need the same expression in her mentor's eyes as well. "I had hoped it would never get this far but evidently you are set on proving me wrong these past weeks. I know you're sorry and you're starting to understand but I think you need to hear this, no matter how much it hurts, so that something like this will never happen again."

This didn't sound good at all and Lucy flinched slightly as Nat took her chin in her hand again and forced her to look up into her eyes. Lucy tried to calm her breath and gathered all her courage not to let her gaze drop.

"I don't want you to grow up as a spoiled trust fund kid who doesn't think any of her actions have consequences, especially since we avoided court."

Natasha's clear words hit Lucy hard. She wanted to deny them but she couldn't. Not just the incident today but all she did in the past months showed her entitlement – something she'd never used to rely on much, especially not since moving into the tower. Lucy had never wanted to be like that, in fact she'd made it a point not to use her wealth and influence in the same way Olivia and the others did, but she'd done exactly that. It was shameful to admit but one more step on the way to rectification. What Nat said also affected Lucy in another way – it gave her security. That feeling was intensified when Natasha continued, though it also made Lucy feel worse and worse about her behavior.

"You made the decision for the adoption. Had you gone with the emancipation, I could let you do whatever, but you are my daughter and I'll make sure you grow up with the right ideals."

Lucy's eyes grew slightly as Natasha's gaze was completely serious and intense. She always said Lucy was like her own kid to her, but seeing her as her actual daughter? It made Lucy incredibly happy but Nat's words also hit a lot harder. She knew Natasha was waiting for some form of reply so she kept her eyes locked and nodded slowly.

"This needs to be a completely clean slate for you, so I want you to tell me everything that you did in the past weeks that you know I won't be happy with." While Natasha's tone was strict and left no room for argument, Lucy hesitated. Nat just shook her head and fixed a stern gaze on her. "You just stole and crashed a yacht. How much worse can things get?"

She had a point. Lucy closed her eyes briefly before holding Nat's gaze again.

"You already know that the sleepovers at Liv's weren't exactly rule-abiding. But I also skipped school with her sometimes to sneak out and drink," she said quietly, Nat's expression not changing. "Especially when I was grounded after sneaking on the mission."

It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. Lucy was also grateful to Nat that she didn't yell or look even more disappointed, even as she continued.

"I understand that you are hurting but I can't let you go on any longer and destroy your life and get into these dangerous situations." Her tone got stricter and her eyes focused on Lucy intensely. "It's also no excuse for you to treat the others with disrespect and lashing out at them."

"I apologize for not stepping in earlier," Nat added and Lucy looked up in surprise. "I should've taken you in hand a long time ago but I thought you needed time to realize all of this yourself. I understand now that that was the wrong approach and I promise you that I'll help you find safer ways to deal with your grief and anger."

Lucy couldn't help but tear up once more. "Thank you," she responded quietly, in a hoarse voice.

Nat finally gave a small smile as she continued. "For a start, there's an entire tower full of people who all have experienced similar problems who will offer you any help they can. I'll also keep a tighter rein on you from now on, starting the boundaries we set out downstairs, so that this self-destructive behavior will finally come to a stop."

All of this settled the unrest inside of Lucy that had kept her up so many nights and that she usually drowned in whiskey to forget.

"You'll also go to therapy to deal with your parents' death. It's a therapist who knows Shield, so you can talk openly with them and I won't know what you talk about. It's completely confidential unless you're at risk of harming someone else or yourself."

Lucy was sure that Nat had expected some resistance to this plan as her eyes hardened slightly as she said it, but she wasn't going to fight it. In fact, it sounded like a great idea. Now that she had taken the decision to make things right, she wanted to deal with everything. Every single girl in her year saw a therapist anyways, so she wouldn't exactly be strikingly different. She nodded and Nat relaxed visibly and offered another small smile.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

Her stomach turned again, because she knew exactly what was coming now. Wanting to just get it over with, Lucy shook her head and got up voluntarily.

Natasha nodded softly. "Unbutton your pants and over my knee, you know the drill."

Lucy complied with the order and Nat took her wrist and softly pulled her over her knee. The all too familiar position had Lucy almost in tears again, especially since she knew that this would be worse than anything before. She remembered the punishment from when she took Tony's car – if this was going to be harder, it wasn't going to be fun.

Nat pulled down her pants and underwear in one fell swoop and Lucy hadn't expected anything different. The first swat took her by surprise but the first round went by pretty swiftly, Lucy exhaling sharply when Nat's hand covered spots that were already hit.

She paused and when she continued, Lucy felt the ruler connect with her butt. Every swat added more sting to the persistent pain and after the second circuit, tears started to form in her eyes. The pain was one thing but every slap also drove home Natasha's disappointment and displeasure with her actions while also intensifying her guilt, remorse and repentance.

After the fourth round, Nat paused. "Why are we here?"

Lucy took in a shaky breath. "Because I stole a yacht and crashed it and endangered my life and Wanda and Peter's and because I broke the rules when I went to Liv's to drink and skipped school. And I didn't deal with my emotions right and didn't talk about my parents' death…" she trailed off.

Nat sighed. "You are correct that you're being punished for the yacht, the drinking and the skipping school and also for your behavior in the tower during the past few weeks. There were one too many incidents where your manners were absolutely deplorable."

Lucy buried her head even deeper in her arms that were soaked in tears by now.

"But this is not about you not talking about your feelings. While I'm going to deal with the consequences of your actions if your copying mechanism mean you're breaking the rules, I won't ever force you to deal with your issues in a specific way. All I can do it suggest what you do and hope that you trust me and recognize what the right way it."

As Nat tipped her forward, Lucy grabbed her trousers tightly. The first swat at her sit spots hurt and her mentor didn't ease up one bit; on the contrary, she seemed to really want to make this memorable. Lucy couldn't blame her, adding up everything she'd done during the past weeks, she probably deserved more than one spanking.

Natasha continued to methodically cover Lucy's bottom. She knew it would take the girl longer than usual to let go – the girl built up too much of a shell and bottled up too much guilt and anger, consequently leading to the harshest spanking she'd ever received. Finally, Lucy went limb over her knee and started sobbing and Nat immediately stopped the punishment and began to rub Lucy's back.

Lucy registered Natasha stopping the swats but she couldn't stop sobbing. It took longer than usual for her to calm down, just as it had taken longer for her to completely submit to the punishment. After some time, she'd calmed down enough and Nat pulled her clothes back in place and lifted her up and sat her on her lap. Without hesitation, Lucy threw her arms around Nat and cried into her chest. Nat stroked calmingly up and down Lucy's back and softly hummed a Russian lullaby.

"I'm so sorry for the way I behaved, I swear it won't ever happen again," Lucy sobbed while Nat placed her chin on Lucy's head.

"I know and you've been punished and forgiven." Nat smiled. "Clean slate, as promised."

Lucy tightened her grip and snuggled closer. "I still don't know how you can do that. I've been terrible." 

Her mentor pressed her closer. "You never were terrible, but I was definitely less than happy with your actions. But I will always forgive you… you need to get that in that stubborn head of yours."

Her words elicited a tired smile from Lucy, the entire day had been draining and emotional. She clung closer to Nat and soaked in the comfort and security she'd been craving for weeks. No matter how much she tried to convince herself of the opposite, she needed her – and it wasn't a bad thing. She was lucky to have her, have someone who cared about her, enough to correct her and not let her make mistakes any longer.

"I love you, mamochka," she said so quiet, it was almost inaudible.

Natasha understood her perfectly and her heart skipped a beat. She'd been thinking of the girl as her daughter for a while, especially since the adoption had gone through but as always, there was this doubt in her mind whether Lucy saw her the same way. She'd never expected the girl to call her anything like that ever, especially so close to her parents' death. The woman tightened her grip and the two sat like that for a few minutes, relishing in each other's company and closeness that both had been missing in the past weeks. Nat could feel Lucy getting more and more tired so she nudged the girl and managed to get her to bed. She was gone within minutes and Natasha watched her sleep with a smile. Finally, things were returning back to normal. She'd missed it.

###

When Lucy opened her eyes the next morning she took a moment before the events of the past day came crashing down. While they made her feel incredibly stupid, she was also very relieved that she finally managed to make things right with Nat. Why she'd needed to crash a yacht for that instead of just opening her mouth and talking about her problems like a goddamn adult was beyond her.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Lucy sucked in a sharp breath as she put weight on her backside. Natasha had definitely made her displeasure known, she thought as she pulled a face. Couldn't say she didn't deserve it. But something felt still wrong inside and with a stitch to her heart she knew that there was one thing she needed to make right, one more person to apologize. She dressed quickly – once more whimpering as she pulled the jeans up – and made her way downstairs. It was early morning so she thought the workshop was her best bet. Chance were, he hadn't gone to bed at all.

When Lucy got to the glass door, she could see Tony sitting inside and even though she knew she had to resolve this, it was hard. She remembered what she said to him before they went to Malibu and she couldn't believe she was still alive – how did Nat not kill her? But there was no point in stalling this. It was hard to step up but she needed to face the music. Images of her grandma caught up with her again – she managed to suppress them while she'd been stepping out of line – but now that she made up with Nat, she was able to stomach those thoughts again. Lucy hoped Peggy would be proud of her for making things right, even though she'd be absolutely appalled at the way they'd gone. She also knew that her grandma would be completely outraged at the way Lucy had talked to her godson and just the thought almost made her physically sick. With a slight shake of her head, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the glass.

Tony's head flew up and turned towards the door and Lucy recognized instantly that he hadn't gotten much sleep. The man said something indistinctly to JARVIS and the door slid open, allowing Lucy to enter. With weak knees, she walked closer and saw that he was working on the watches – he'd definitely worried a lot.

He didn't say anything but his face had turned expectant. Lucy took a deep breath and just got it over with.

"I'm so, so sorry," she began with a shaky voice. "For the way I talked to you before we came here and the things I said. I don't know what came over me. I was angry but that's no excuse for the way I behaved." She stocked and observed Tony's expression that had turned softer and lost some of it's sternness.

"You are one of the strongest people I know and you do so much good and it was completely unfair of me to bring up your past. We don't do that here and I know that. I'm really, truly sorry."

Now Tony's face turned to a smile and he opened his arms and that was all the invitation Lucy needed. Some tears had built up while she talked and she didn't try to contain them anymore. Tony soothingly stroked her back and when they pulled apart, he proudly smiled at her.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," he said softly while taking Lucy's shoulders. He looked at her intently. "I know how you're feeling, so please come to me and talk to me. I don't want to push you but I feel like you've come to a point where this cannot go on."

Lucy nodded and dropped her gaze but quickly remembered her manners and forced her eyes up again. "I talked about that with Nat yesterday. I'm also gonna go to therapy, but I do want to talk to you. I just wasn't sure whether you still wanted to see me… after everything I said."

Tony shook his head. "There is nothing you could say or do that would make me not want to talk to you, understood?" Lucy nodded so he continued. "And I think it's great that you decided to go to therapy, it'll help a lot."

"I hope so," Lucy smiled. She hesitated. "I just don't know how I'll ever be able to live normally again. It seems stupid, my parents were even more unavailable than yours."

"It will get better," Tony promised. "It doesn't have anything to do with your relationship with them, to be honest. It'd be hard in any case but with time you learn to live with it and remember that you have everyone here care about you."

"And much more than my parents ever did," Lucy huffed but offered a small smile at Tony's pained expression. "How did you deal with it then?"

"You were quite spot on," he admitted with a wonky smile. "I was drinking, drunk driving, drugs, everything problematic – and all things that would get you into deep trouble here."

Lucy grinned, knowing she'd stay far away from that now anyway.

"I know it seems hypocritical, but I don't want you to make the same mistakes. I'm not proud of anything I did, and I know now, and probably knew back then, that it was completely wrong and unacceptable. I wish now that I would've had someone to yank me back in line," he said sadly and Lucy moved closer to him.

"I'm sorry, I brought all that up again-"

"Oh no, don't start," Tony smiled. "I need to be able to talk about it. It's my past and my choices, but I want to make sure you won't ever have anything like that to explain."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you. I can't believe you all can just forgive me like that."

"Of course, we can," Tony said vehemently. "We know you're a good girl and that this was just a bump in the road. You'll do your punishment and everything will go back to normal. I'm really proud of you for facing the consequences, especially after yesterday." He also smiled. "Officer Helton was a bit impressed with you, I think."

"Yeah, he was nice," Lucy said softly. "Made me see the light somewhat."

Tony nodded. "I'm glad."

When he paused, Lucy continued. "I promise I'll come to you whenever I need to. I won't let it escalate like this again."

"Thank you and you know you always can, no matter what or when."

Tony looked around. "You wanna help a bit? I'm just finishing the watches for you – don't worry, they're gonna look good. I'm designing them after all." He smirked.

Lucy nodded enthusiastically and turned to whatever Tony was directing her to. It felt good working like this again, no tension in the atmosphere and just enjoying each other company. She'd always known that Tony and her thought along very similar lines and having some one-on-one time was always a treat in the tower.

"So… have you gotten any sleep?" Lucy smirked as Tony flinched slightly.

"I'm not gonna tell you how much because you shouldn't lie to Natasha or Pepper but they'd kill me if they knew how little."

Lucy chuckled and concentrated on the minute details of the watch face.

Nat had gotten up and checked in Lucy's room, but the girl had already gotten up. She had an inkling where she might be, so she made her way down to Tony's workshop. When she walked down the stairs and could see through the glass, she could see both of them working and laughing together. Pleased with Lucy she smiled. She had no doubt that her daughter would try and make things right as quickly as she could but it filled her with a different kind of pride that she did so completely unrequested. Nat would've loved to just let them work, but breakfast was ready and looking at Tony, she knew he'd barely gotten any sleep. Putting on a stern face, she entered the code and the lab door slid open.

The engineers both looked up and smiled at the spy as she entered.

"Morning, Tony," Nat greeted him, while throwing a small smile towards Lucy.

"Morning, Tasha," he responded sweetly and Lucy almost started snickering again. It was always fun to try and see Tony get out of deep waters with Nat.

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

Lucy bit her lip as Tony flinched. It was funny how Natasha could reduce even the guys to fidgeting ten-year-olds.

"Not enough probably," he said quietly, almost like a question.

Nat nodded. "Correct. So you'll both come up for breakfast and then you will go to bed and catch up on some sleep."

Tony nodded and jumped up, Lucy grinning and following slower.

Natasha placed an arm around Lucy's shoulders and smiled at her. "How are you?"

Lucy smiled back. "I'm good. I had to make things right with Tony, so I came down here directly. We talked about everything." She stocked and lowered her eyes. "I can't believe the way I talked to him before we came here." She shook her head and Natasha tightened her hold.

"I wasn't very impressed with that. You know I don't stand for it when someone attacks the family, especially when they use their past against them."

Lucy's head dropped even further, but Nat stopped walking and lifted her chin, forcing her to look up. "You recognized that that was wrong and went to apologize of your own volition. I could not be prouder of you."

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes again and Lucy had to swallow a few times before she nodded.

The two got upstairs and as soon as Lucy saw Steve, she went over and apologized again. She hadn't forgotten his reaction the last night and she knew he'd been bitterly disappointed. Tony must've had a chat with him as all reservation was gone and he forgave her without question. Once more she wondered how she could ever deserve such a family.

Breakfast was long and relaxed, and Lucy was finally able to let go of the tension that had surrounded her around other family members the past couple of weeks. Peter and Wanda seemed much more comfortable as well – except for the obvious fidgeting – and they could finally talk normally again. There was nothing to hide anymore on Lucy's side. They also made plans for their volunteering. Lucy had thought of a few places she'd like to do but the senior citizens' home was probably on top of that list. Or maybe the homelessness shelter. She felt good. It'd be a way of repaying the community – something she'd neglected completely since she started stepping out of line.

Looking around the table, Nat threw her a smile and so did Tony. Lucy breathed in deeply and loaded another fork of eggs and bacon. Life was finally normal again – she'd need time to properly process her parents' death but now she knew she wouldn't go down that dangerous, lonely road. No one here would let her.


	14. Clint in Charge

Clint in Charge

Carrie. Lucy was just glad she wasn't in public school. They didn't really have to deal with bullying much in Columbia, the school was academic and the intrigue of the UES was far worse than anything teenage girls could come up with, but it was probably a good message anyways. And the musical itself was fun. The music was awesome, it had great characters and a generally powerful tone throughout.

The entire Junior year, as well as a few Sophomores and Seniors sat in the music room, having anticipated the reveal of the Junior musical; it wasn't a large group – one year in Columbia usually only had around thirty students. It was always a good time, one last chance for the Juniors to have a fun summer semester before they'd face AP exams the following year. The Juniors that were also in choir were chosen for most of the important roles with a few Seniors and Sophomores mixed in there. But not even the ones like Peter who didn't attend choir because they couldn't sing to save their lives weren't spared. Stage hands, costume designers and so forth were always needed.

Everyone quieted down after the reveal as Ms Evans shushed them and with a grin continued.

"I'm glad you are all welcoming this choice so enthusiastically, it's always easier to work with an engaged student group. Onto the roles now."

The tension was almost palpable in the air. It wasn't as if there was great rivalry – none of them took it that seriously and they didn't audition either, the teachers chose whoever they thought was capable of acting and singing and suited the role. Lucy sat up as Ms Evans pulled pulled out a piece of paper and Wanda next to her breathed in deeply.

"Alright, our first main part is Sue and she'll be played by Olivia," their teacher announced and everyone clapped. Liv looked very pleased with herself and Lucy had to grin. She knew the other girl reveled in acting the good girl. Focus on acting.

"Most importantly, of course, our Carrie, who will be played by Wanda."

Lucy had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud and Wanda just sighed but Lucy could see a happy grin. There was a smirk on the other students' faces too as they clapped, not malicious but knowing – Wanda's powers were no secret.

"I should probably clarify," Ms Evans added quickly with the most stern face she could muster (no match for Nat, not in a million years), "that you won't be allowed to use your powers on stage. We're doing effects for that, nothing unplanned, school rules apply."

Wanda nodded seriously and Lucy offered her most innocent smile. Why would they ever think they'd use this golden opportunity? Oh, because they were definitely going to, no matter what the teachers said. They should really anticipate that. If anything, it was their fault for grabbing the chance and making Wanda Carrie.

"Lucy, you'll play Chris," Ms Evans turned to her with a smile and Lucy had to suppress an out of character enthusiastic response. She loved playing villains and Chris had some of the most vicious lines. Liv turned to her with a knowing smile and both girls exchanged a short look. This musical was going to be amazing.

"Billy, Chris' boyfriend will be played by Harry."

Or maybe it was about to go up in flames. Lucy could barely contain a groan as Harry turned to her grinning but she couldn't help rolling her eyes. There was an audible snicker from Olivia and even Wanda grinned bemusedly. Lucy could only shake her head – how were their teachers able to pick up on all these vibes between the students? Some supernatural forces at work probably.

The rest of the roles were distributed quickly.

"Tomorrow is the first rehearsal, make sure you all get here in time, everyone doing crew work will meet Mr Connelly and he will put you into your respective groups. Thanks very much guys and I'm looking forward to a very productive two months." With those words, Ms Evans dismissed the students and Lucy noted from the corner of her eye that Liv stroke up a conversation with Wanda – nothing too unusual, the witch had become civil with the gang during the past few months (still not much understanding on either side but better than nothing) – but she was about to go over when a hand on her shoulder held her back.

"So Carrie, hm?"

When Lucy turned around, she saw the familiar smirk belonging to Quentin.

"Shouldn't you stay out of this? Seniors don't have time for the musical, you had your shot last year!"

"Says the one taking all the AP courses in her Junior year," the boy grinned and Lucy had to break a smile as well. "Not that I'm complaining, at least we had some classes together."

"How else am I gonna skip years at MIT if I don't take a ton of college courses next year already?" Lucy shrugged. "Besides, I've never studied in my life."

Quentin huffed. "Way to rub salt in the wound."

"You're the one eavesdropping on Junior announcements!" Lucy pretended to be offended.

"But then I take it you don't have to spend Friday night cooped up at home studying?"

The girl cocked her head challenging. "Wouldn't you like to know." 

"Because I thought we – well, I – could take a break and take you out for dinner?" His voice still sounded smooth, but Lucy could feel a slight nervousness underneath.

Quentin wasn't your typical Upper East Side guy. He'd only moved to the city from Connecticut about a year ago and he definitely wasn't as run-of-the-mill as the others in her year. She actually felt bad shooting him down – though it wasn't because she wanted to.

"I'm really sorry but I can't do Friday night," she answered apologetically. "We drive upstate Fridays after school so I'm usually not in the city." Before Quentin could get any ideas, she quickly continued. "I'd love to grab dinner, but right now is a bad time anyways. My training schedule is ridiculous and I'm also doing volunteering."

"It's gonna clear up eventually though, right?" he asked and at Lucy's nod he grinned. "Well, I'll try again soon. It's not like we never get to see each other anyway, we got Chemistry on Monday."

With that, he gave her one last dashing smile and left. Lucy shook her head. She couldn't believe she actually felt bad for not being able to go on a date with this guy. She always thought she was cold enough not to care.

But she didn't have time to focus on that now. Wanda was still talking to Olivia, and now even smiling, but Lucy was too busy to wonder about it now though she made a mental note to ask the witch later. Instead, she quickly grabbed her things and was out the door in no time. She would've stayed behind chatting for longer but she was volunteering at the care home today for two hours and needed to be back in time for training in the evening as well and talking to Quentin had taken long enough.

The home for the senior citizens was just on the other side of Central Park from Columbia, one of the reasons why Lucy had chosen it. Another was that most residents were relatives of someone from the UES and Lucy knew from experience that those were people that didn't have much time for anything outside work and their own social circle – and that included neglecting their family. Just like her own parents. Lucy sighed, the anger not flaming up as much anymore as it used to before she started therapy. She didn't think she'd ever forgive them completely though. With a quick swipe of the key card, the high fence opened and gave way for Lucy to walk into the small park that surrounded the big colonial style building. Most rooms had views to Central Park, just like the residents used to have in their own apartments.

Lucy made her way to the common room where she usually helped out. Her responsibilities were focused on entertaining the elderly, listening to their stories and just keeping them company. It wasn't too hard, she had quite a lot of practice in that with Steve (obviously a joke she wouldn't say out loud if she didn't want to be called lazy by Tony – all the senior citizen jabs had grown old, pun intended). Lucy liked the stories though. She liked sitting with the old ladies, talking about their families and successful kids who didn't have time to visit but would give them the latest tech to at least facetime once in a while. She liked hearing the stories of the elderly men, from when they left their fiancées and mothers behind to ship out to England. She was happy when she could provide some solace to the ones who lived through Omaha beach and the Pacific and was able to reassure them that their sacrifices were worth something – even if only the fact that her generation was able to pass the message on.

"Lucille, my dear, come sit with us!"

The frail voice belonged to one of Lucy's favorite ladies. Hazel was surprisingly robust for her 95 years and she reminded Lucy a lot of her grandmother.

With a smile she walked over to the little area where a few couches were assembled around a coffee table, all in bright white.

"Good afternoon, Hazel, Thelma, Edith," she greeted the other ladies as well and nodded to the caretaker who smiled at her.

Hazel patted the seat next to her and motioned Lucy to sit down with her cane.

"We were just talking about you, wondering when you'd come."

"Oh, I'm very sorry that I got here late but school overran," Lucy smiled. "We were given our roles for the summer musical."

"Now that is exciting!" Thelma leaned forward to grab a cookie without taking her eyes off Lucy. "Which musical are you doing?"

"Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel."

"That's appropriate for high school students?" Edith frowned.

"Balderdash! Don't be so old-fashioned, Edith!" Hazel said vehemently (quite ironic as Edith was at least ten years younger). "It's an important message for the children. Who are you playing, dear?" she turned to Lucy who grinned.

"The mean girl, Chris. It's quite fun."

"I can imagine!" Thelma exclaimed. "So completely the opposite of the well-bred, courteous young lady you are."

Lucy smiled politely on the outside but grinned inwardly. She wasn't going to ruin the perfect picture that the old ladies had of her. Of course, in their presence she was the most well-behaved and respectful girl on the entire Upper East Side. They didn't need to know that she'd gotten a stern look and a sharp rebuke from Natasha last night because she was too lazy to get up and tidy up her training clothes. Or that Sam had given her a good scolding during training that same day because she just couldn't keep her cheek under control. No, she would never let them know that.

The conversation continued, the older women telling Lucy about their favorite musicals, all the Broadway shows they'd seen with the original cast and how sad Natalie Wood's death had been.

They returned to Lucy's favorite topic like during almost every visit – history. Thelma and Edith had to excuse themselves to make it to physical therapy but they made Lucy promise to sing a few lines from the musical the next time.

Before Hazel could delve into her story, they were joined by two men, one of which was Lucy's favorite among the gentlemen in the home. Raymond was the best at telling stories and Lucy would always ask for new ones that he'd happily supply. She also loved Edward who kept up with technology surprisingly well and whose only son would visit him twice a year, always updating his electronics.

Hazel began her story. She'd been part of the WAAC's – once again reminding Lucy of Peggy – and she had some truly memorable experiences. Raymond chimed in a few times. He had been part of the Howling Commandos for some time, not with Cap during the war but afterwards and his stories about finding and following communists were breathtaking. The most intense story was probably Edward's who had been lucky enough to survive in the Pacific. Lucy was spellbound by his tales - most of the people she knew, Peggy, Howard, the 107th, had all served in Europe. The Pacific was a different picture altogether though.

As always, time went by quickly and when the clock struck five, Lucy hastily said her goodbyes, promising to bring some singing material the next time. She almost ran down Park Avenue (a good warm-up anyway) because she really didn't want to be late. Until now, there had always been more than enough time to get home from school, have some lazy hours and then go down to training. Nat hadn't been lying though when she told them they wouldn't have time for any idle thoughts anymore. Most days, Lucy finished school, went directly to volunteering so she could finish the assigned number of hours per week, then race home because training, due to the increased hours, started earlier. Then dinner, sometimes a bit of homework and then she usually fell into bed completely exhausted. Lucy wasn't stupid, she knew exactly this is what the adults had wanted. Stealing that yacht really had been a huge lapse in judgment and with how busy her punishment made her, she had no time to get bored and think of anything. She didn't mind though. She knew she deserved it and probably much more, she knew that Nat would never ask more than she could handle and that her mentor expected her to cope with these consequences. In a way, Lucy wanted them. It gave her the feeling like she was actually making up for her actions. And she enjoyed her volunteering. Training… that was always somewhat harsh – obviously since they wanted to be Avengers – but the adults definitely turned up the intensity following the yacht joyride, not only in terms of the number of hours. Even Clint, who was usually the most lenient, didn't let anything slide anymore and Nat and Rhodey who were the two most demanding trainers got even tougher. It wasn't easy but Lucy didn't want it to be. She didn't think she could've forgiven herself had she not felt the effects of the discipline for some time. And deep down she was glad for every rigorous training session – the harder, the better she'd get.

Lucy threw a glance at her phone as she stepped into the elevator – five minutes before training started, that was doable. She pulled her school shirt over her head on the way to the training room and grabbed her workout clothes from the shelves in front. She changed in record time and stepped through the sliding glass door. Rhodey was already waiting inside and looked at the watch as she entered.

"Two minutes late, thirty pushups."

Lucy dropped down immediately and, keeping the tension in her body, did as she was told. She wasn't going to argue. Fifteen pushups per minute late had always been the consequence for tardiness and that wasn't going to change just because they had more on their plates. Lucy knew Rhodey, Nat and the others couldn't care less that she was late because of volunteering – they'd tell her she didn't have to steal a yacht but she'd made that decision and would have to live with it. Lucy was adjusting to it. This wasn't as easy as saying something insolent and rectifying everything with an apology and even more difficult than putting just her own life in danger. The trust she'd squandered would take some time to rebuild but she was going to try everything. That obviously included taking her punishment like an adult and not complaining about things that were intended to push them. Peter especially didn't seem to get that part. He'd complained often enough about having to do both volunteering and training in the same day but Sam and Nat only pushed him harder as a result. It was a good tactic. They were so exhausted by the end that they didn't have the energy to complain.

Lucy finished the pushups – she'd become familiar with them by now – and jumped up, ready to get the actual training started. There was the smallest hint of a smile on Rhodey's face as Lucy stood up straight in front of him. Neither Peter nor Wanda had shown up yet and Lucy was wondering once more why they wouldn't put in more effort to get there on time.

"Since your teammates aren't here yet, we'll just start some one on one," Rhodey decided and while Lucy was excited she also knew that this was going to be more exhausting than usual.

Sam strolled in, throwing Rhodey a confused glance who only raised his eyebrows in response before turning to Lucy.

"We're doing some agility training, jumps, running stints, the usual. Start on 3," Rhodey ordered and Lucy got into starting position.

They'd been warming up for about five minutes when Wanda hurried in and stopped dead in her tracks when Sam cocked her head at her.

"Eight minutes late, that's one hundred twenty push-ups. You can do sixty now and sixty at the end."

Lucy didn't have the time to look at Wanda's face as Rhodey had all his attention focused on her but she knew pretty well what it must've looked like.

After a short while, Wanda joined in the agility session while Peter still didn't show. Lucy just shook her head inwardly. Stupid spider. In that moment he strolled in and Rhodey stopped the exercise and walked up to him. The girls tried to not look too interested but they definitely wanted to see what was going to happen.

"You're fourteen minutes late," Rhodey started and clearly expected Peter to say something but the spider just looked back with a petulant look on his face. Oh, so he was in a mood, Lucy concluded with a grin. This ought to be good.

"I think this calls for an explanation, Peter."

He just sighed at the order and stuck his chin out – Lucy admired his guts.

"I was volunteering, like I have to and it took longer to get back here."

Rhodey's face was set in stone. "We all know for a fact that you can easily make it here on time if you want to. That's no excuse." His face darkened as Peter's expression didn't change. "Two hundred ten push-ups and you'll stay longer to finish the session."

Lucy really wanted to see Peter's response because she was sure he didn't take kindly to Rhodey's words, but a strong hand on her shoulder spun her around.

"I'm pretty sure you two are supposed to get ready for your next workout, but if you haven't got anything to do, you can join Peter in doing those push-ups." Sam's tone was stern and Lucy and Wanda quickly shook their heads and made their way to the climbing frame.

Training went by pretty quickly and as always, Lucy was drenched in sweat by the time she got to her ten-minute cool-down run. When Rhodey called them off, she grabbed a towel and water bottle and dried herself off before leaving the training room. As she turned, she heard Rhodey reminding Wanda to do the last sixty push-ups and with a sigh she realized she wouldn't get a chance to talk to her or Peter before dinner since the spider hadn't even finished training yet. The staring contest between him and Sam had gone on for some time, adding to his total lateness and Lucy was sure that Tony was going to hear about this. Whatever happened in training, their mentors usually didn't address since it was already dealt with – unless Nat was responsible of course. Lucy once again wondered how she had such bad luck to choose the strictest mentor who was also an instructor. But whenever the kids played up too much and they thought they needed extra chiding, they'd tell their guardians – snitches, Lucy grinned. She wasn't upset at it. They all knew exactly what was expected of them and unlike a few weeks ago, she knew that she was capable of being as good as they wanted her to be. It was an uplifting feeling, just like the one she had now, right after finishing the training session. Lucy knew she was improving. She could feel it in her general fitness, her reaction time and her fighting style and a quick look to the training stats on the smart watch on her wrist confirmed her intuition – she hadn't broken any records today but she was on target. Even the short stint of almost giving up on it all hadn't done much damage – she'd been back in form after a week and leaning into training even harder.

Back in her room, Lucy quickly showered and changed and went to the common floor immediately. She had a little bit of time before dinner but maybe she could help with something.

Downstairs, Bruce and Tony were in the kitchen preparing dinner and greeted Lucy as she leaned on the counter of the kitchen island.

"Can I help you guys with anything?"

"Finished training early?" Bruce turned to her with a smile before tasting the sauce.

Lucy grinned. "Nope, just got there on time."

Tony snickered and Lucy knew Sam hadn't told him yet but she wasn't going to throw Peter under the bus so she just grabbed the plates and started to set the table.

When she laid out the cutlery, Nat and Clint strolled onto the floor as well. Her mentor came over and gave her a half-hug and pressed a kiss to her head while Clint ruffled her hair.

"How was your day?"

"Pretty uneventful," Lucy shrugged. "I'm such a lovely, courteous and well-bred girl according to Thelma."

She grinned as Nat only rolled her eyes. "We should invite the entire care home over for them to see what you're actually like."

There was a snicker coming from Bruce but Lucy could always rely on Clint to have her back.

"Come on guys, she's about as perfect as can be." He pressed her shoulder in support as she gave him a smirk.

"It's my job to make sure you're not getting to big-headed," Nat frowned but Lucy knew she was hiding a smile. "Parent responsibilities."

"That's where our biological ones failed," Tony winked at the girl who only sighed in response.

Nat rubbed her shoulder in comfort. "I heard some great reports about your progress in the lab and in training though. Well done."

Lucy smiled. While her mentor definitely knew how to knock the ego out of her (and she needed that sometimes – it led to joyrides on stolen yachts) she would never miss an opportunity to praise her for something she'd worked for, whether it was difficult and lengthy lab work or a tough couple of training sessions. It didn't happen too often. Most things came to her pretty easily and Nat wasn't about to go and clap her back for every single good grade she got. No, her compliments were scarce, and Lucy had to work for them. A year ago, she would've felt offended – she'd been used to heaps of glowing praise at school for nearly every task – but now she appreciated it. When she did get some of those coveted words, she felt real satisfaction; they were worth a lot.

Pepper walked into the dining area with a sigh and threw her shoes off as she made her way towards Tony. Lucy knew from the expression on her face that SI must've sucked the life out of her again. While she loved summer, it usually was the busy season for tech companies as they were preparing for the fall launches. Slowly, everyone else made their way to dinner too, Peter coming up directly from the training room with Rhodey and Sam, in a much better mood than earlier. Lucy smiled – the spider had mood swings but couldn't stay angry for long. In her more self-reflecting moments, she recognized that she was definitely the one who could stay mad for the longest time – probably because she was the most stubborn as well.

Sam eyed her with a confused look, but Lucy just raised her eyebrows at him.

"Is that my hoodie?" he finally asked with narrowed eyes. Lucy looked down herself at the grey and navy - very comfortable - sweater and shrugged.

"No idea, I got it out of Nat's closet."

The others turned questioning and amused looks to the spy who just grinned.

"I might've picked it up somewhere."

When Bruce sighed, Steve only shook his head and Tony started snickering. "That reminds me, I'm still missing that striped hoodie… I think it's been about three years."

Everyone laughed out loud and finally started passing out the food.

"They announced the junior musical today," Lucy kickstarted the conversation, eliciting a snicker from Peter which in turn made all the adults turn questioning glances to the kids.

"Why is that funny?" Steve asked innocently and Wanda's grin widened.

"We're doing Carrie and they chose me to play her," the witch explained and everyone else caught on and smirked too.

"Your teachers really typecast that, didn't they?" Tony grinned while Steve looked as proud as could be.

"You're going to do an amazing job!"

Lucy smiled and expectant gazes turned to her. "I play the mean girl… the one that dumps the blood on Carrie."

Nat hid her smirk really well and Bruce almost choked on his food.

"Please tell me that's not actually typecast too?"

"Don't know," Lucy shrugged. "Olivia is playing Sue, so make of that what you will."

"Let's hope your image in school isn't this drastically different from the one here at home," Pepper said bemusedly and with that, dinner went on pretty uneventfully.

###

By the end of the week, Lucy had only fifteen hours of her community service left, so within less than ten days she'd be done. It stirred something in her – she'd miss the homelessness shelter as well but her stomach actually turned when she realized she wouldn't see any of the old ladies and gentlemen again, neither hear their stories, nor be able to tell them about her own day and get advice. A plan had formed in her head and she just needed to ask Natasha about it. Lucy decided that right after training and before dinner when they both went upstairs to change was the best time.

"Nat?"

The way Lucy hesitated clued Natasha in that the girl was about to ask a favor.

"So, you know how I only have just over a week of community service left?"

Nat nodded and stopped, turning to Lucy expectantly.

"I was wondering," Lucy started to explain but couldn't help fidgeting a little. "I wanted to continue with it maybe? In the senior citizens' home? I just realized how much I'd miss them all and obviously I couldn't do as much as I do now but maybe once a week?"

She looked at her mentor who frowned at her.

"Why are you so nervous about asking this? I think it's a great idea and I'm glad that you enjoy volunteering for others."

Lucy breathed in deeply, glad to have this part over with and quite pleased that Nat now thought well of her. It'd make the second request easier to ask

She took a deep breath. "I actually have something else to ask as well."

Nat raised her eyebrows and Lucy cursed herself for sounding so insecure.

"Liv is having a party on Monday and I wanted to go."

A shake of the head was the only answer Lucy got and she rolled her eyes.

"You know the answer, Lucy," Nat said sternly.

"But I basically finished volunteering and I was barely late for training in all that time! Why can't we loosen the curfew a bit just once?" Her voice came dangerously close to a whine.

Natasha fixed stern eyes on her and Lucy started fidgeting again although she managed to hold the gaze.

"Your actions during Easter had been more serious than anything before. They aren't balanced out by a few weeks on good behavior." Nat paused and looked at her intently. "Do you really think you should be allowed to go to a party already?"

"Yes!" Lucy responded immediately but when Nat didn't change her expression but just raised her eyebrows again Lucy huffed, turned on her heel and slammed the door to her room.

She was still angry when she went down to dinner, though she waited until the last minute to prevent having to talk to anyone, especially Nat. Knowing that she shouldn't be around anyone while in this mood to prevent saying something she'd regret later, Lucy excused herself right after finishing her food and went back upstairs.

A knock on her door disturbed her as she was reading through the script trying to memorize her lines. Lucy had an inkling who it could be, and she really didn't want to talk to her so she kept silent, pretending to focus on her reading. She managed to ignore the next knock as well but couldn't close her ears to it anymore when she heard a soft "Lucy" from outside. Softly, without making much noise, she got up from her bed and moved to the door.

"Lucy, I want to talk to you," Natasha's voice was firm but not unfriendly. If anything, it was a bit sad. Lucy frowned.

"I'm being called on a mission and I don't want to go while we're fighting."

Lucy's heart stocked momentarily and she quickly opened the door not worrying for a second that Nat would know exactly that she'd been waiting right behind it and looked at her mentor with big eyes.

"You wanna talk?" Natasha asked and Lucy nodded mutely.

They moved to her bed and sat down, Nat taking Lucy's hand in her own.

"Steve and I just got a message from Fury. We're being sent on a mission, leaving tomorrow morning and it'll take a while – longer than a week, two, maybe three." Her voice was matter of fact but Lucy could sense that she wasn't happy about it. A part of her felt guilty. Nat was the best agent Shield had and she liked her work and only because she was saddled with her, she had to put off so many longer missions.

"I managed to avoid longer assignments for a few months now because I didn't want to be apart from you for so long but I can't push this and neither can Steve."

Lucy's head flew up in surprise and Nat frowned at her. "I know what you're thinking and you couldn't be more wrong. I'm so glad that I finally have something in my life that isn't as dangerous as a mission but makes me even happier." She grinned. "Though your training is getting you there."

Lucy smiled but she also felt slightly panicked and Nat must've seen the worry in her eyes as she got serious.

"These longer missions are more dangerous than what we do during a usual day." She stocked and Lucy grabbed her hand tighter. "There's no point in sugarcoating this. Our job is risky and there is always the possibility that something will happen." Nat tried a small smile. "Otherwise we couldn't make the impact that we do now."

Lucy swallowed and nodded but couldn't oust the worry from her eyes.

"I think it's high time that we had this talk," Nat continued soberly. "Nothing gets better by avoiding it and it's always better to know than to be oblivious."

Even though it was a frightening thought, Lucy had to agree and so she nodded again. She'd rather knew what to expect outright than live in ignorance.

"But that's why I don't want to leave when we've been fighting. I could be called away the next morning and not be able to have a conversation to clear things up with you before."

That thought made Lucy's stomach turn so she looked up into Nat's calm, green eyes.

"Should we say that we'll always resolve arguments before we go to bed?"

Natasha nodded. "I think that's a good idea. I don't want you to eat up your emotions though. We'll still talk about everything, no matter how long it takes." She gave a wry smile. "We hopefully won't argue so much that we'd have to do this every night anyway."

Lucy grinned and shook her head, so Nat continued. "Which brings us to tonight." Her voice got sterner. "Why do you think you should be allowed to go to Liv's party? I want to hear your side."

Nat's request was simple but Lucy had to swallow. She wanted to be mature, even though it would've been easier to just start whining, so she lifted her head and calmly spoke.

"I've almost completed my community service and I was even faster than I was supposed to. I was also almost never late for training unlike the others and I've been on perfect behavior since the yacht incident."

She finished and looked at her mentor who nodded in appreciation of her words.

"I agree, your behavior has been great, with a few minor incidents," she grinned and Lucy had to concede that point. "And you're spot on with the rest as well, but I still think allowing you to go wouldn't be the right decision." Nat looked at her intently. "Are you gonna listen to my reasons?"

Lucy sighed deeply but she remembered just minutes ago the shock she felt at the possibility of losing Natasha, so she nodded.

"I think deep down you understand that stealing that yacht was a huge mistake and bigger than anything you've done before. That's why your punishment looked so different and was rather long-term. We needed you to understand the gravity of this lapse. Allowing you to go out while the punishment is still ongoing would completely derail the lesson we're trying to teach."

Lucy couldn't deny that Nat had a point and somewhere inside her she'd realized that already. With another wave of shame that she actually tried to negotiate her punishment she sunk her head, but Natasha wouldn't let her. She grabbed her chin and gently forced the girl to look into her eyes.

"On top of that, Liv's parties were exactly the wrong place for you to deal with all the problems and until we both feel that you're more stable, I don't think it is a good idea to go back into that environment."

Another excellent point. Lucy swallowed and nodded slightly. Nat's face relaxed and she smiled at her.

"I understand, I really do," Lucy sighed. "Sometimes when I wanna do something, even if it's not that important to me, I get really stubborn about it as soon as you tell me no." She grinned. "I know these parties bring out the worst in me."

"They don't," Nat immediately interjected and took Lucy's shoulder. "You were in a vulnerable position and it's easy to choose the quick path to forget. You've spoken to Tony about that."

Lucy nodded and grimaced. "I'm still glad I managed to get out there in time." She paused. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm still excited to go to the parties and sleepovers again but I do wanna be able to be in control when I do that," she added.

Nat nodded. "And I understand that and it's completely normal but I'm glad you recognize it would be the wrong time now."

When Lucy smiled, Natasha let go of her shoulder and looked at her seriously again. "We still gotta talk about the mission."

Lucy swallowed and even though she still felt not ready to talk about this, there was no time to postpone it. In some ways she had to get used to anyway – she wanted to become an agent, so she had to face difficult decisions and dangerous missions on a daily basis.

"You're gone for at least a week?" She hated how insecure her voice sounded as she looked up at Nat with worried eyes.

"At least, but probably not more than three," Nat took her hand again. "It's to Eastern Europe, in the Balkans. I can't tell you much because most of it is classified and need-to-know only, but we might get some headway on your parents as well."

Lucy perked up at that and some hope mixed with the worry in her eyes and body.

"I'll be going with Steve and we should be able to handle that, although they might get more Avengers in for stints if necessary. We're not expecting any big fights, it's mostly infiltration, that sort of thing."

That calmed Lucy only slightly. Nat was the best agent Shield had and the best spy probably in the entire world currently but there were always risks associated with it. But as Nat said – they wouldn't be able to make the difference they made if they didn't accept those.

"That sounds really interesting," Lucy smiled bravely but Natasha obviously saw through her.

"I know you're worrying and that's normal since the longer the mission, the more dangerous it obviously is. But this is still quite low risk and now I have the biggest incentive to come back home," she smiled and pressed Lucy's hand.

The girl returned the smile albeit wonky and nodded softly.

"I'm far more upset about being apart from you for weeks," Natasha admitted and Lucy looked up in surprise. "Though we probably should start getting used to it since you're off to college next year."

Lucy's heart stocked. She hadn't even thought about that but it was true. She only had one more year at Columbia before she'd start at MIT and so far, it never bothered her since she was living alone in school anyway. Now, going off to college meant leaving behind the tower and the family and suddenly it all seemed much harder. Just another incentive to get through college quickly – maybe she could take another college course at Columbia next year, she could definitely handle it.

"I'll come visit every weekend!"

Nat grinned. "I hope you will but that's the future. In terms of next week, Clint is gonna be in charge. I thought you'd like that since you appointed him as number two."

Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely, that's gonna be fun."

"I don't doubt it, but he'll also be acting on my behalf in all areas, whether it's to do with school or with discipline," Nat continued sternly. "He's basically me, so treat him like you'd treat me. I don't think I need to say it but I just wanted to make it clear. He's smitten when it comes to you but he won't loosen the rules just because I'm gone."

Lucy nodded in understanding, not having expected anything else.

"Understood and don't worry, I won't get into trouble."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Nat grinned. "If you do, nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen, except that Clint will handle it. Got it?" 

"Got it," Lucy affirmed and Nat gathered her in her arms and Lucy's rapidly beating heart slowed a little.

###

Lucy breathed in Nat's familiar scent and clung onto her a little tighter. Just thinking about how she wouldn't see her for over a week and the risk of this mission upset her stomach again.

"It's going to be okay, ptichka," Nat murmured. "I'm gonna be back soon and nothing will happen."

Lucy nodded into her shoulder but wouldn't let go. She didn't care that the rest of the family was waiting around – every single one of them understood her upset and Wanda didn't seem like she would let go of Steve anytime soon.

"Be good and behave for Clint, alright?" Nat spoke so quietly that only Lucy could understand her. "You know he's got a weak heart."

Lucy pulled back and looked up into Natasha's eyes and nodded seriously. Her mentor smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, before turning to Steve.

"I guess we gotta make a move if we don't want to keep Fury waiting?"

Steve sighed, nodded and made his way to the car, leaving Wanda in Sam's arms while Clint put his over Lucy's shoulders. She tried to be mature, she tried to keep her distress hidden, but it wasn't easy. Clint's hold on her was calming and gave her enough stability to watch the car leave the compound without starting to cry.

When the Audi was out of sight, she turned around, her eyes firmly on the ground, but Clint immediately tightened his arms around her and Lucy held onto him, burying her head in his shoulder. A few tears managed to escape but overall, she kept it together pretty well. Pepper ushered everyone inside to the breakfast table that was already set.

The day went by pretty uneventfully, mostly filled with AP and SAT prep – anything to distract her from the fact that Nat was on her way to Eastern Europe. Teaching Wanda coding proved to be quite effective in taking the girls' minds off their anxieties, as well as being absolutely necessary as Wanda had set her mind on the cognitive science course at MIT. Technically, they would teach her all that stuff in the first few courses, but the witch had some issues wrapping her head around science in general but still wouldn't compromise her major. Lucy admired her stubbornness and perseverance; she didn't know if she would continue to pursue a science major if it didn't come to her so easily.

Even though she had been able to suppress her anxiety during the day, Lucy wasn't spared from it at night. With a sigh, she turned towards Clint who was walking towards her bed after having turned the ceiling lights off. If it continued like this for two weeks, she would not get nearly enough sleep – let alone if Nat had to go on longer missions more often.

"You know, falling asleep usually works better when you have your eyes closed."

Clint grinned at her, but Lucy could see that he was hiding his own worry behind the smile.

She looked up at him intently. "I can't sleep."

"Bold words." He cocked his head. "Since you haven't even tried yet."

"I know I can't." Lucy rolled on her back and watched the ceiling. "I can't stop the thoughts in my head. I keep calculating how far their plane has gotten and if they're in danger already or if I should be worried that we haven't heard from them yet or-"

"It's difficult and not easy to hear but it'll always be like this," Clint said in a sombre voice, putting his hand on Lucy's arm which prompted the girl to look back at the agent.

His words were a punch to her gut, but she was glad he didn't mince his words. They never did at the tower and she was thankful. Other parents and adults would try to calm them by downplaying the danger or not telling them details but Lucy couldn't live like that. Clint was right, this was the life she'd chosen – and she'd choose it over and over again – so she took a deep breath.

"How do you stop it? The worrying?"

Clint smiled sadly. "You won't be able to completely stop it. Not if it's people you care about. Ask anyone here at the tower or on the compound – from Pepper to Coulson, they'll all tell you that they worry constantly. But the sad truth is, the more it happens, the more it becomes normal and you'll have other things that are even worse and that sets other anxieties in perspective."

"Sounds awesome," Lucy mumbled. But she understood what he meant. It wasn't as if she herself hadn't experienced enough in her short lifetime already to exactly know what perspective felt like.

"I know it's gloomy and depressing but it's really not that bad." Clint sat down on the edge of the bed. "Seeing the three of you train and improve and be happy is definitely one of the highlights. It always has been."

A smile formed on Lucy's lips and she moved a little closer so Clint could take her in his arms.

"Can you stay for a bit?"

Clint nodded. "Of course. I'll tell you the story of the Paris Opera – but only if you close your eyes," he added, grinning.

Lucy sighed at the trick he'd been playing since she was four but complied and with Clint's voice, her heartbeat slowed, and she finally drifted off.

###

"It's not a party or just hanging out, it's also a musical rehearsal," Lucy said in her most innocent voice.

Clint nodded but the frown didn't disappear. "Then why isn't Wanda going?"

Lucy cursed inwardly. Of course, he'd be onto her. He was a Shield agent after all. "Oh, you know Wanda doesn't really like Liv and the others. It's enough to be around them during the official rehearsals." It wasn't a total lie. Well, two months ago it wouldn't have been, but in the past few weeks, Wanda and the girls seemed to have warmed up to one another. She wasn't quite ready for an entire afternoon though – especially since the musical rehearsal wasn't exactly on the forefront of their minds as the afternoon's entertainment.

"Well, that's true." He gave her another intense gaze but Lucy was used to holding Nat's, so his wasn't exactly a match for her. "Alright, you can go, but be back by 9."

Lucy grinned and nodded, giving Clint a hug. It was so easy to charm the pants off him, a nice break from Natasha who'd never fallen for any of her charisma. A tiny little speck of guilt wouldn't disappear from the back of her mind since she'd promised Nat she wouldn't abuse her being gone. But she deserved a break from all the worrying about the mission and being out with the girls would help.

She decided to leave the Audi in the garage and walk over to Liv's instead. The streets were packed on a Saturday and she would've moved about a foot in twenty minutes.

"Finally! We've missed you!" Liv smiled at her as she entered the penthouse and Lucy was surprised to see genuine happiness on the other girl's face. She wasn't just being polite, her eyes actually had a sparkle in them.

"Well, Natasha's on a mission and the others are a lot easier to convince," Lucy grinned. "And it's an afternoon, that's easier to stomach for everyone."

"I was already surprised they let you out at all after that yacht thing." Liv grinned with an impressed smile. "That was wild, even for us!"

Lucy chuckled. "It wasn't exactly my best work. Let's get some rehearsal done today so I at least don't have to lie to their faces."

The other girl clapped her back and moved her towards the others. "Good idea. Hey, Harry, why don't we start with your and Lucy's scenes?"

With an annoyed sigh, Lucy turned her head back to the other girl who had a devilish grin on her face. Harry on the other hand jumped up and seemed quite happy. Lucy resigned herself to her fate and grabbed the script out her bag – she knew her part by heart now, but it gave her something to hide her face in when she had to roll her eyes at Harry.

Hours went by quickly and by ten, Lucy had two drinks and finally decided she should get back to the tower. On the way, she racked her mind for a story that Clint would buy, but she decided that some honesty was going to be the way to go.

"I just completely lost track of time!" Lucy mustered her best apologetic look. "The rehearsals were going so well and we ordered some food, cause we got so hungry."

She managed a contrite smile in Clint's direction who sighed heavily. "You were almost an hour and a half late!"

"It won't happen again, I promise!"

"Alright."

Lucy couldn't believe how easy this was.

"But next time you're coming home before curfew, understood?" Clint tried to sound stern, but he wasn't great at it. Lucy knew better than to snicker at his failed attempt and just nodded genuinely.

"Loud and clear!"

A smile formed on Clint's face and he engulfed her in a hug before sending her off to bed. Lucy was very pleased with herself. Sure, she wasn't supposed to push Clint like that, but it was just too easy. And in a way she was practicing her spy skills so technically Nat should be proud of her. With that twisted logic, it was easy to fall asleep and the two drinks numbed her worry about her mentor even more.

###

"Why?" Lucy was trained not to whine but she couldn't help the annoyance in her voice.

Sam eyed her with a stern glance. "Because the training room and the gym is a complete mess and it's your turn to tidy up in there."

The girl rolled her eyes and she didn't care that the others saw. Nat would've objected but she was in Eastern Europe.

"Let's just get it done," Wanda interjected, clearly trying to be the sensible one. Peter seemed ready as well as he got up out of his chair.

"But why should we do it?" Lucy frowned deeply.

"Because you're using it too," Rhodey shook his head slightly. "I don't see why it's suddenly a problem."

"I know why," Sam murmured, and Lucy threw him a dark look.

"Lucy, please go and do it. We've always arranged it like this," Clint looked at her intently but Lucy only glared back. She didn't have time to come up with a retort though, as Wanda took her arm firmly and pulled her towards the elevator.

The adults could hear her complaining until the elevator doors closed and Sam threw Clint an exasperated look.

"I swear to god…," he muttered before also leaving the floor.

Clint followed the other man with his eyes until he was out of sight. "What was that about?" 

"Better ask your kid." Rhodey shook his head. "Seriously, Clint, what the hell? She's never been like this!"

"She's having a hard time dealing with Nat being on this mission. She worries!"

"Yeah, right," Rhodey huffed and turned, making his way to exit the tower, leaving only Tony behind.

Clint shook his head and the confused look on his face made the inventor chuckle.

"You caught a bad case of being smitten with her charms."

"Excuse you?"

Tony grinned and waved to the chair next to him on which Clint let himself fall onto.

"This kid is really good. I mean, she's charming, she can be absolutely sweet - and she is pushing you towards the edge of the tower right now."

Clint's face only got more confused. "What do you mean?"

"Lucy is completely using you. She knows you love her and can't say no, so she's living the high life right now." Tony still grinned as Clint vehemently shook his head.

"No, that's not possible. She wouldn't do that."

"Really? Think about it. You know exactly she's not usually like that – and I know you think she's some form of angel," Tony kept talking when Clint seemed ready to intervene. "But she's still a teenager and a really smart one at that. She sees an opportunity, she's gonna get at it."

Clint was finally quiet and Tony could almost see his brain working to process his words.

"You really think I'm being too nice with her?"

Tony cocked his head. "Think about what she's done the past few days. Do you think Tasha would let her get away with any of that behavior?"

Clint frowned again. "But I'm not Tasha! I'm Lucy's uncle and the fun one!"

"But she put you in charge. Relying on the fact that you'd treat Lucy like she would."

His raised eyebrows quelled Clint's arguments once more and he kept quiet. Tony's words made sense and he really wondered how the former playboy became such a good parent.

"What do you think I should do?" It wasn't easy to admit defeat, but Clint thought back to all the instances this week where he felt insecure in his decisions to let Lucy get off the hook but couldn't help himself when she threw him that look. He was sure Nat would've not fallen for it once. "How can I tell when she's overstepping the line?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Well, there's obviously different standards for everyone but since it was Tasha who made you responsible, think about what she would do. Where she'd decide that Lucy went too far. You know both of them better than any of us, so trust your gut feeling. And all of us make mistakes so don't be afraid to just go and do it. It'll be ok and don't believe your mind if it tells you that Lucy's gonna hate you when you do step up." He gave a soft smile. "She won't. She'll be grateful and your lives will be a lot easier."

Clint sat very still. "How do you know what's going on in my mind? I thought that was Wanda's specialty?"

Tony chuckled again. "You don't live and work with someone for five years and not know them inside out. That reminds me, Bruce's tea is out and I promised him I'd get more."

With that, he pushed his chair back and walked towards the elevator but turned around once more. "It's really sweet how protective you are of her. But she can take a lot, believe me. That girl is resilient as a rock and I don't doubt she'll be the best agent Shield has ever seen. You just gotta let her."

With that he stepped into the elevators as the doors closed and was gone.

Clint sighed heavily but couldn't hide his smile. Tony had always loved to pretend to be stone-cold and standoffish but since Peter entered his life, everyone could see through his façade immediately. Even back when it was just the five (and sometimes six) of them, it hadn't taken long for the iron mask to crumble. All the little things he did around the tower showed he listened and cared. Oh, geez, Clint shook his head. He had to agree with Tony, they really knew each other completely. Nat was going to have a field day when he told her that it took Tony for him to see the light.

###

Even though Clint finally understood that he'd need to change things, he was still praying that Lucy wouldn't push him any further and that Nat would return soon. But as usual, his prayers weren't answered, and he'd have to remember Tony's words distinctly to actually follow through.

They were in training, about a week after Steve and Natasha had left and Lucy had been reckless the entire day. She didn't really seem to care that the training rooms were off-limits, but Clint hoped that with enough challenge, they'd exhaust her.

Both Lucy and Peter were training in their suits today and Lucy was also trying out her blasters for the first time. Sam was quite apprehensive to let her use them in her current mood but they had promised her for weeks and there was no good reason to go back on their word. In hindsight, they maybe should've invented one.

"Lucy, will you come down and listen now?" Rhodey's voice was agitated and Peter and Wanda swallowed hard. He couldn't stand disobedience, especially not in the training room.

Lucy landed in front of him but whether she was listening was debatable.

"You will not shoot webs or blasts or magic without a command from one of us, understood?"

Peter and Wanda looked at Rhodey as they nodded but Lucy was watching Clint who prepared some ropes on the other side of the room.

Sam sent the three to different places around the room to start the exercise. Lucy went without asking twice but she hadn't really listened to Rhodey's explanation. Instead, she was guessing, based on Clint's preparation, what they had planned. Maybe she would be able to complete some tasks before they even gave them to her – proving her intelligence once more.

Clint had set up a dummy near the middle door that connected to the gym and Lucy eyed it calculating. She could probably blast it with medium power and what was she if not surprising, Lucy grinned. With a quick flick of her arm, she aimed and shot but underestimated her blasting power - or maybe her own.

When the loud crash echoed through the room, everyone jerked around to see the door burst into flames and the dummy almost evaporate into a million little pieces. Lucy was half taken by shock and half satisfied with her creation. One look to Rhodey and Sam's faces wiped any good feeling off her and instead her stomach turned. Before any of them had a chance to say something though, Lucy felt Clint's hand on her shoulder. How he'd crossed the room so fast, she didn't know.

"To your room. Now."

He sounded more serious than she'd ever heard him, so Lucy complied without question.

In her room, Lucy quickly changed out of her suit into her regular jeans and t-shirt. She had an inkling that she wouldn't do any more training today. With a heavy sigh she collected her thoughts. At least Nat wasn't here today – there would've been pretty severe repercussions for her actions. Although, and Lucy hated admitting it, she probably wouldn't have done what she did today if her mentor was in charge of training – or on the same continent.

A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts and Lucy answered quietly and subdued.

"Come in."

Clint entered her room with a foreboding expression and mutely sat down next to her on the bed.

Lucy wasn't sure how to feel about this. The man seemed more serious than usual but she also knew that she'd be able to get herself out of this mess – with Clint it was always easy.

"I'm so sorry," she started and meant it. The training room was off-limits for reckless stunts like the one today and Clint being one of her trainers didn't leave a great impression.

Clint sighed heavily. "Why did you do it when Rhodey explained to you minutes before that that's exactly what you're not supposed to do?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip and looked down on her hands. "I wasn't listening that well… I thought I could anticipate what you guys had planned and then do the task before you even gave it to me."

"You don't have to keep proving that you're smart, Lucy," Clint said softly but placed a finger under Lucy's chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes - disappointed and stern eyes, ones she had never seen before with Clint.

"I know and I'm sorry." Lucy managed a contrite smile. "I promise it won't happen again."

"Good," Clint nodded. "And we'll make sure it won't. Unbutton your pants."

"What?" Lucy was shocked and her head jerked back. Not shocked that there were consequences for misbehaving during training – if Nat had been here, this would've happened too – but Clint? He never punished her; he wasn't capable of following through with it. "But –"

"Lucy," Clint interrupted her with a calm voice as if he had expected the outburst. "What do you think would've happened if Nat was here?"

"But you're not Nat!" She attempted a weak defense.

Clint gave a wonky smile. "I'm not, but I'm acting in her stead and I absolutely cannot let this slide." His eyes and voice took on a sterner note as he continued. "And you know full well that I've overlooked far too much of your behavior during the past week when Nat would've long laid down the law." 

Lucy had to admit he was right. And even though she didn't like it, she also knew that that was the only reason that she had been acting out at all last week. Imagining Nat's response was usually a pretty good deterrent for any ill-advised actions, but with her mentor on another continent? It was a free house. Until now, apparently. Since Lucy didn't want to look up into Clint's eyes again and she sort of started to accept that he wasn't going to back down, she just got up and unbuttoned her jeans.

When Clint saw that Lucy was giving in, he almost breathed out in relief. He had expected this argument since it was a new role for him – but he tried to remember Tony's words. They'd both be happier in the end, even if the next few minutes weren't going to be comfortable for either of them. He took Lucy by the wrist and softly pulled her over his lap.

Lucy left out a soft huff when she connected with Clint's lap but it wasn't much different from when she found herself in this situation with Nat. She felt her pants being pulled down and registered in relief that it was only her pants so far. Either Clint wasn't as angry as expected or he had no clue what to do and was pretty insecure.

When his hand first connected with her bottom, it was more surprise than pain but slowly, he settled into a rhythm and he became more confident with what he was doing. It was a different feeling to usual. It wasn't that Clint was any stronger than Nat – probably about the same– but his hand felt different; it was larger and rougher, more calloused and covered a bigger area. Lucy didn't have much more time to deliberate the differences in her mentors though as her backside started throbbing more and more and it became harder to concentrate on anything else. She started squirming and let out the first sounds of distress.

After Clint finished the third round, he stopped and placed a stabilizing hand on Lucy's back.

"Why are you being punished?"

Lucy knew better than to groan but she had hoped that Clint hadn't learned that much from Nat.

"Because I didn't listen in training and blasted the door."

"And why was that a bad idea?"

"Someone could've gotten hurt because it's dangerous to not follow the rules in the training room," Lucy managed to get out somewhat coherently.

"That's right," Clint responded in a grave tone and Lucy could feel him nod. "You know exactly that the training rules are strict and one of the most important things is to listen exactly and do as your told. It could have terrible consequences if you don't."

Lucy swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," she said, her voice already heavy with tears. "And I'm also sorry for how I've been acting in the past week. I've been really disrespectful."

Clint broke a small smile and rubbed her back in response. "Thank you, Lucy. I can trust that we won't have a repeat of this then?"

"Definitely not!" Lucy said vehemently.

When she felt Clint tug down her panties, she buried her face in her arms, but the tears started flowing freely as he finished another round on the bare.

Clint almost stopped the punishment when he saw the first tears leak out of the girl's eyes. Christ, this was hard! He had no idea how Nat did this on a regular basis, especially if it was as bad as stealing a yacht. But he admired her. He had been too chicken to step up and now Lucy had blasted a door that might as well have been another person. With newly awakened motivation from remembering why they were here, he tipped her forward and targeted the sit spots. If they were going through with this, Lucy might as well feel it for a few days – and he'd hopefully never have to do this again.

As Clint started assaulting her sensitive spots, Lucy tried to keep it together but to no avail and after a short time, she started sobbing openly and went limb over the man's knees, submitting to the punishment. As soon as Clint saw that, he stopped spanking and instead rubbed her back again. When Lucy calmed down a little, he replaced her clothes and helped her up, settling her in his lap.

Lucy buried her head in Clint's chest and hung onto him as if her were her life support. She had calmed down a little but the sobs were still coming, only quieter.

"You okay?" Clint's voice sounded worried and a little insecure, maybe even a tiny bit scared and tried to catch Lucy's eyes to see her face.

She took a deep breath and tried a small smirk as she looked up. "I'm fine. And I'm sorry. I promise this won't happen again."

"Good," Clint sighed heavily and gave a pained smile. "Because I hated every second of this and I have no desire to repeat it."

"Believe me, neither do I," Lucy grinned and Clint tightened his arms around her. Lucy leaned back and rested her head against his chest. Listening to the calming heartbeat, she closed her eyes.

"I just miss Nat so much. I mean, I know she wouldn't be happy with how I've been acting, but I just miss her being here. And I'm still scared that something might happen." With a sigh, she opened her eyes again to look into Clint's that were watching her with a sympathetic expression.

"Me too," he nodded. "Every time she goes out, whether I'm with her or not. But Nat can handle herself, probably better than anyone else at the tower. We gotta trust her."

"You think she's gonna be ok?"

When Lucy looked up at him with those big, blue eyes, Clint couldn't help but feel a stitch in his heart. But he decided not to let anything show and instead nodded firmly.

"I'm positive."

That seemed to satisfy Lucy and she sunk back, resting her head against his chest once more.

###

"I love May," Lucy said as she took in a deep breath to taste the fresh air, already filled with the smell of flowers and trees. "New York is finally warming up."

"Not just New York," Quentin grinned, throwing her a look and Lucy had to smirk back.

Now that volunteering was over and training had almost gone back to normality, there was more time to enjoy the nice things in life – such as Quentin.

"I'm glad we could finally do this. In a way, it's actually better now than wading through a foot of mud in March." Lucy looked up at the young man who tucked a brown curl behind his ear. Apparently, she had a type, she mused.

"Agreed, late spring is the best time for dates in Central Park. Coffee?" He pointed to a cart at the side of the path.

"It's like we're already soulmates," Lucy nodded.

When Quentin handed her the warm cup, she held it in both hands and let the smell of the strong caffeine reinvigorate her.

"Where off to now?"

"What about those rocks? I've never actually been up there."

Lucy gave him a disbelieving look. "Seriously? Man, you're missing out!"

Quentin shrugged his shoulders. "I've been in boarding school for ages."

"Well, then, let's go!" Lucy tucked the sleeve of his jacket impatiently, pulling a grinning Quentin behind her.

"This is an amazing view!" Quentin couldn't keep his astonishment in and Lucy grinned proudly, as she sunk down on the cold stone next to him.

"It's quite something."

Her heart beat a little faster as Quentin shuffled closer and carefully put an arm around her shoulder, as if he was trying it out. It should've been hilarious – Lucy was used to Harry who always knew exactly what he was doing and she should've found it funny how slow Quentin sometimes went. But it wasn't – it was cute. It was comfortable and Lucy knew she'd never had that whole heart-skipping thing until now. It terrified her as much as it felt good. She was always in control of her feelings and now, suddenly, Quentin seemed to tear down all the barricades. But it felt so, so good, so she just leaned in and placed her head on his broad shoulder. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she felt so calm and contented outside the tower without alcohol – or even with. It was unusual but not at all unwelcomed.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the people walk down in the park and the sun glisten in between the glass fronts of the skyscrapers. After a while Quentin moved softly and Lucy looked up.

"I think we should get back or they'll never let you out with me again."

Lucy pulled out her phone and almost let it drop in surprise. "You're right! How did we spend almost two hours here?"

"Time goes by fast in good company," Quentin grinned and Lucy pretended to roll her eyes when she could barely hide her smile.

The two jumped down from the rocks and made their way back to the tower. Quentin insisted on accompanying Lucy to the door and she made a mental note to tell Steve that. He'd approve instantly.

Lucy was about to enter the building, when Quentin held her arm and spun her round.

"I had a lot of fun today," he said softly. "And I very much hope we can do this again – maybe dinner next time?"

Lucy bit her lower lip and smiled. "I'd like that a lot." She looked up at Quentin's eyes whose face had gone very serious and slowly, the two moved closer and closer.

When their lips met, Lucy closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss. It wasn't as hungry as Harry's, but soft and careful, yet still as passionate. The twist in her stomach intensified and suddenly Lucy was overcome with a feeling of not wanting to let go. She put her arms around Quentin's neck and leaned in, kissing him back. After a while, they broke a part and Lucy grinned.

"I should really get inside or we'll soon have an audience."

Quentin pulled a face. "Yeah, I'd rather not."

Lucy giggled as Quentin planted another quick kiss on her before turning and walking back up Park Avenue.

With a deep breath, Lucy turned into the elevator but was unable to wipe the smile off her face until she got to the dining room where everyone was already present.

Wanda saw her come in and had a smug, knowing look on her face. "So, how was it? We finally got our two lovebirds together?"

"Maybe," Lucy said grinning as she took her seat next to the witch.

"Well, if that smile has anything to say, I'm guessing it went really well?" Pepper smiled at her and Lucy nodded in the woman's direction.

"Yeah, I think so."

"They kissed!" Wanda exclaimed and when Lucy just nodded, the redhead squealed. "I knew it! You two suit each other so well! We've all been shipping you!"

"Who's 'we all'?" Lucy turned to Wanda, confused.

"Olivia and the rest and I," she explained as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Right, Lucy thought. She still had to get used to the fact that Wanda was now included in their group.

"I know Lucy's love life is riveting, but maybe someone wants to try the Lasagna?" Tony called out as he carried the large dish out of the kitchen and just like that, Lucy's afternoon was forgotten, much to her relief.

###

Lucy's nightmares had gotten better but she still had a hard time falling asleep, so Clint usually told her a story. That helped her fall asleep under normal circumstances, even though his stories always involved gruesome, bloody Shield missions – Lucy loved it.

"And we entered that massive building – very carefully, because we still didn't know if there were fifteen or fifty enemies – we see this huge concrete wall with no way of climbing over it. Now, I might be called Hawkeye, but no way I could fly over that wall. So, I turn to see what Nat is doing and think about what we should do and she's already stripping down her tactical gear and jumps up and five seconds later, she sits on top."

Lucy looked up at Clint in excitement, only stopping herself very narrowly from asking what happened then. She knew he'd only continue if he thought it was sending her asleep – a trick she'd learned when she was five.

He continued and Lucy was so mesmerized, she almost didn't hear the door open slightly, but she flicked her eyes flicked over quickly and even in the dark, her heart almost stopped when she saw Nat glide into the room. With a well-hidden smirk, she decided to play uninterested and focused her gaze back at Clint who looked at her confused since he had expected her to jump up and greet Nat immediately. At Lucy's expectant expression, he just continued his story, as Nat made her way towards Lucy's bed – quite offended that she didn't get the big welcome she was obviously expecting.

When she reached the foot of the bed though, Lucy couldn't play serious anymore and within a second, she scrambled down to the other end to throw herself in Natasha's arms. She never realized how good these hugs felt and how much they calmed her, but now that she was safe in her mentor's arms again, she didn't know how she survived three weeks without her.

After a while, they pulled apart and as Lucy looked into Nat's eyes, she saw how glad her mentor was too to be back. She also communicated silently that they'd talk in the morning since both were exhausted. Nat sat next to Lucy on the bed and laid the girl in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Clint, I didn't want to interrupt your story. Continue."

Clint just grinned and gave Nat a smirk before picking up where he left off. Within a few minutes, Lucy was sound asleep and Nat softly picked her head up out of her lap and laid her on the pillow. Then, she and Clint quietly left the room and went to her living room, but not before Nat got two beers out of the fridge.

Clint got to the point straightaway. "So, how come the blonde hair?"

Nat grinned and took one of the strands of her hair in her hand and twirled the blonde ends in her red hair. "Oh, you know, undercover stuff."

She sank down on the couch next to Clint and both sat quietly for a moment before Clint's face got serious and he spoke up.

"We were all worried about you. We hadn't heard from you in weeks."

Nat's stomach clenched at his words. She knew the anxiety and worry was part of their job, but it didn't get easier the more relationships entered her life.

"What did you tell the kids?"

Clint pulled a face. "We didn't wanna lie to them, but we also didn't want to freak them out." He sighed heavily. "We pretended it was normal on longer missions that we didn't hear from you because you might not have access to a phone or if you do, you might be tracked via it." He paused and Nat recognized a new emotion on his face – sadness with some underlying anger. "It's terrifying how easily Lucy accepted that explanation. It just shouldn't be."

Now it was Nat's turn to grimace. She knew Lucy's life was never going to be normal, but the ease with which she took in what should've sometimes amounted to devastating news was saddening.

"I know," she said softly, taking Clint's hand in hers. "But what we can do is try and give her as normal a home as possible. Let her be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Or as ordinary as she'll ever be," she added with a grin and felt Clint relax at her words.

Feeling the tension leave her own body too, she leaned back and cocked her head. "So, how'd it go?"

Nat popped the cap off her bottle as she eyed him curiously.

Clint just sighed, eliciting a grin from the woman.

"Well, we had some problems at the start… you're not allowed to bring this up again, but I finally stood up to her after Tony talked to me."

Nat's raised eyebrows said more than she ever could so Clint only took a deep breath and continued.

"She wasn't listening in training and blasted a dummy that might as well have been a person, so I had to discipline her. But I got it over with and we didn't have any problems afterwards."

Natasha's face had become serious and she looked at Clint with the same cut-through look she often used with Lucy.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Actually, it made things better." Clint stocked momentarily. "I mean, it felt terrible but afterwards, everything was so much easier. I hate to admit it, but it was just like Tony said."

Nat smiled sympathetically and put a hand on Clint's arm. "Thank you. I know you absolutely hate being firm, but thank you for managing her while I was gone."

Clint smiled softly. "I'd do anything for you, you know that."

She held his gaze, nodding seriously, and Clint continued. "It's probably a good thing I finally put my foot down. She's gonna respect me in training more now."

Nat grinned. "You're a huge softie and you know it."

Clint reciprocated her smile. "But Lucy doesn't."

Both chuckled softly and finished off their beers while Nat told Clint everything about the mission she and Steve just finished.

###

"I think it looks great! Fresh and new."

"Did you just say 'fresh'?" Lucy turned to Bruce with an incredulous expression, barely containing her laughter. "The nineties are over, you know that, right?"

Peter and Wanda both exploded with laughter at that and Lucy didn't try to conceal her huge grin and just continued to snicker.

"I didn't know you were such a fashionista Bruce," Tony teased and the other scientist just threw his hands up in defeat.

Sam grinned and patted his back comfortingly. "It's hard, surviving in this tower." He turned to Nat. "But honestly, it looks really good."

Lucy nodded. "I'm just happy that I finally seem to have an influence." She grinned at Wanda's dark look.

"You better be quiet! We can't lose the redheads, I'm completely outnumbered now!" The witch sported a sorrowful look but Nat smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm only a half-blonde, so I can access both powers. Maybe it'll be easier for me to mediate between the two of you now."

"As if we're fighting that much!" Lucy pouted and Wanda immediately sided with her sister.

"We're literally never fighting! Considering we have to live with each other," she added quickly.

Lucy turned to her with an unbelieving look. "Seriously? I'm not that hard to live with!"

"Alright, that's enough." Steve quickly interjected before Wanda had time to retort. "Don't you want to finish getting the living room ready? The others should be arriving pretty soon."

The girls exchanged a look, jumped up and, talking quietly, made their way to the kitchen to carry out drinks and snacks.

"Knowing that you'll probably consume half this stuff, you could definitely help us bring it out," Lucy called over her shoulder towards Peter in a tone that made the spider immediately jump up and trot into the kitchen.

Nat grinned. Lucy was learning a lot from her.

A few minutes later, the kids had pushed around the furniture in the living room to somewhat resemble the staging of the musical and J.A.R.V.I.S. was ecstatic to play music box.

The first to arrive was Olivia with a few other girls and as the elevator pinged, they stumbled out in amazement. Lucy grinned. All of them had grown up on the Upper East Side, but just like she was amazed the first time she set foot into the tower, so were they.

Liv sported a polite smile, like Lucy was used from her, but she did recognize that the other girl was more open than she usually was. Lucy blamed it on the tower – it was so different from your ordinary penthouse.

The girls greeted the others and Wanda and Liv hugged - Lucy noticed and exchanged a look with Nat. At her mentor's questioning glance, she just shrugged. Wanda seemed to start to flourish in the company of the others and Lucy had observed a change in Olivia too. She was far more relaxed and less devious than she had been since kindergarten.

With a genuine smile, Liv came over and greeted Lucy who in turn introduced her to Nat.

"Liv, this is my mom, Natasha Romanoff. Nat, this is Olivia Waldorf."

Nat put on her 'I'm-nice-until-you're-stupid' smile and shook Liv's hand.

"It's great to finally meet you, Miss Romanoff," Liv said in her sweetest voice, but Lucy only grinned. She knew full well that Nat knew Olivia and her shenanigans and wouldn't be fooled by the 'innocent girl' façade.

"Same here. Lucy's been talking a lot about you," Nat responded in her 'I'm-nice-until-you're-being-stupid' voice. "Your sleepovers are famous." She eyed Olivia with her steely look but to Liv's credit, she held the gaze without wincing outwardly.

"Yes, I do like making sure everyone has a good time. But you know – even we have limits."

Nat broke a real smile. "That's good to hear." She turned to Lucy. "I'll disappear now and I promise, I'll try and keep Steve out of your hair."

Lucy grinned. "Much appreciated." She watched Nat turn and with a determined look and grip of his shoulder move Steve away from a group of kids that he'd been interrogating, towards the elevator, whispering to him about something.

Then she turned to Liv with a knowing smile. "You've impressed her. That's not easy, well done."

Olivia just let out a long breath. "She's scary. I completely understand why you're not coming to every sleepover anymore." She turned to Lucy and inspected her face. "Aren't you terrified of her?"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm scared of her in the 'everyone's scared of the Black Widow' way, but usually she's just Nat." She grinned. "She's not as much of a softie as Clint, but she's really considerate."

"That's more than any of us could've ever hoped for in our biological parents," Liv sighed and look towards the elevator where just minutes ago, Nat and Steve had disappeared. "I don't think I would've chosen this, but you're lucky. You got someone who cares."

It wasn't typical for Olivia to speak so openly and Lucy felt sympathy for the other girl. She knew Liv wasn't as vulnerable as herself – she also hadn't lost almost her entire immediate family – but it still hurt to hear anyone talk like that. Knowing that Liv wouldn't appreciate grand gestures, she just placed an arm around her shoulders.

"You know, now that you're getting along so well with Wanda, maybe we should have a sleepover here. Just the three of us."

Olivia turned to Lucy with a grin. "I'll take you up on that. An entire night for you to finally fill us in on the tea with Quentin."

With a laugh, Lucy shoved the other girl from her. "Invitation revoked. Anway," she turned to the entire group who had found places on the couches, tables and chairs, scattered in the room. "We probably should get started! There's snacks and drinks on the table, help yourself, and Peter is doing stage manager, since he can't sing for shit."

"Har, har," came the objection straightaway but Lucy just ignored him and continued.

"Before we start though, we've had an idea."

"And just to be clear, that stays in this room, no one is talking to anyone or you'll be in massive trouble. Got it?" Olivia said in her scariest voice and everyone swallowed hard and nodded firmly.

"Good," Liv smiled sweetly and Wanda continued.

"As you all know, Ms Evans won't allow me to use my powers on stage, even though they totally chose me for Carrie because of them on purpose." She stopped and throughout the room, her words were registered with nods.

Lucy grinned in anticipation for the announcement and exchanged an excited look with Olivia who was sitting next to her on the table.

"We thought it'd be lots of fun, if, in the end of the show, when Carrie is causing the destruction, instead of just the staging collapsing with the special effects that we do ourselves, Wanda is gonna use her powers to flicker the lights throughout the auditorium, let some things fly over the audience's heads, stuff like that. Nothing dangerous, just some fun."

Everyone exchanged excited looks at that and nodded in agreement, giggling and snickering already.

"Obviously, the teachers don't want that so everyone is gonna keep it on a down low, but once we get the auditorium for ourselves, we'll see what we can do." Liv looked around the room with a warning glance again, but no one seemed particularly interested in blowing the surprise.

"Ok, I guess that's done, so let's get practicing!" Lucy hopped off the table and clapped her hands.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., let's play up some Carrie. Why don't we start with 'The World according to Chris'? I'm feeling in top form."

"So do I," Harry said, as he got up from his seat and Lucy rolled her eyes inwardly, but as the music started, she immediately got into character. Spiteful and bitchy was really fun to play – especially since she got to be mean to Wanda and Liv. Sometimes the bad girl was the most exciting role to play.


	15. The Joys of Spring

The Joys of Spring

Lucy kept her eyes closed and just let the feeling of pleasure curse through her. When Quentin slowed, she ran her hands through his hair and took a hold of his curls before leaning in again and opening her lips slightly, letting them feel the passionate touch of his. She felt Quentin's body shudder slightly before he grabbed her arms tighter and pushed her until she felt the glass wall of the tower against her back.

When they broke apart, Lucy grinned happily and Quentin looked at her, slightly breathless.

"How was that?" He focused on her eyes, but Lucy just grinned up at him.

"How would I know? I did all the work."

"Oh, there you are, running that mouth again," Quentin smiled and softly ghosted his lips over hers. "But thankfully, I know how to shut it up." With that, he pressed his mouth on hers and Lucy just let him press her up against the wall, moving her body slowly with his.

As he pulled back, Lucy was still smiling.

"Thanks for dinner," she said, slightly out of breath herself now.

Quentin grinned wide. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I was thinking," Lucy started and Quentin's ears almost perked up at her tone. She laughed softly and continued. "I guess I could convince Nat to let you stay over at some point – if you wanted to?"

They were standing so close, Lucy could distinctly feel Quentin's pulse beat faster.

"I'd love that," he said quietly and before he could say anything else, Lucy quickly interjected before he could get too emotional.

"You know, you'll probably be grilled by the guys over breakfast," she quipped but Quentin only shrugged.

"If that's what it takes to date you, then I'll get through it."

Lucy grinned wickedly. "That's so sweet! I always wanted to hear a guy say that." With a quick glance at her watch, she realized just how late it had gotten.

"I better get back upstairs or that plan's a goner."

"Mhmm, that'd be shame," Quentin whispered softly, pulling her into another deep kiss.

After a moment enjoying the feel of him, Lucy softly shoved him off and laughed. "Alright, go away, I need to get in."

Before Quentin completely turned to leave, he pressed a quick kiss on her cheek and then took off, walking back up Park Avenue. Lucy watched him leave until he disappeared in the masses of people somewhere around Central Park.

Humming softly, she entered the elevator and went right up to her floor. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so happy in a relationship – granted, most of her relationships had been pretty short and solely based on the fact that she was bored. The level of emotion that seemed to be involved with a normal one was overwhelming.

Thankfully, when she entered her living room, Nat was sitting on the couch in her Mulan sweatshirt with the TV on. She turned her head and smiled at Lucy who walked in and with a sigh, sank down on the couch next to the older woman.

"How did it go?" Nat grinned and cocked her head slightly.

Lucy grinned. "Really well. He's great." She paused and when she continued, her tone had become quieter, more sober. "Could I talk to you?"

Nat immediately sat up straighter and reached for the remote, turning the TV off. "Always!"

"And you promise you won't get mad?"

Lucy had to smile as Nat gave her an incredulous look and shuffled closer. Her mentor placed an arm around her shoulder and cozied up like this, Lucy began.

"You know I had a few relationships, but honestly, they've never really involved feelings. It was just nice to have someone to make out with when I was bored and lonely." She stocked and risked a look up at Nat. "Or more – you know." She carefully examined Nat's face but it was an open book and the only emotion she could find was understanding, so she continued.

"I haven't really been dating since I've been here and I thought it was because I didn't have time, which is partly true, but it's also because I felt safe." Lucy paused and sighed but Nat just waited quietly for her to continue.

"None of the relationships I had were really relationships – I was always drunk and those were one offs at parties… even with Harry I was never official or anything."

Nat rubbed her shoulder and pressed Lucy closer to her. "You're feeling different with Quentin?"

Lucy twisted her head and looked up at her mom, a small smile forming on her lips. "Yeah – I do. He's so different from all the other guys from the Upper East Side. And I finally feel safe here and I don't know if I'm developing feelings for him." She sighed and looked down. "It's so confusing."

She felt Nat placing a hand on her head and stroking her hair softly.

"I know it is, ptichka." She sighed heavily. "And I'm afraid it doesn't get easier with time."

Lucy pulled a face. "I don't like not being in control and right now I feel like my feelings are slipping out of it right now."

That elicited a small chuckle from Nat. "I completely understand."

"I know you would," Lucy grinned, turning her head to watch Nat's face.

"The best advice I can give you is to just go for it. You can always decide when it gets too much but there's no harm in letting go for a bit." She smiled down at Lucy. "Have fun."

"Thanks," Lucy sighed and snuggled even closer. "I was actually gonna ask you something."

Nat knew from the tone of her voice that Lucy was getting serious.

Looking up into her mentor's eyes, Lucy took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you if it was ok for Quentin to stay over at some point." Before Nat could respond, she quickly continued. "I know the handbook says we can't but I'm sixteen now and it's not like I've never done it before."

She swallowed and looked down but when no response came from Nat, she glanced up again. Surprisingly, her mentor's face wasn't enraged but instead calm and even showed a hint of a smile.

"I trust you, ptichka, and I know you wouldn't do anything stupid or anything you're not comfortable with," she said and smiled softly. "So, yes, it's okay."

Lucy's eyes grew and something inside of her started to flutter. "Seriously?"

Natasha nodded. "You would've found a way in any case and I'd rather you be somewhere you know."

The younger woman turned and threw her arms around Nat's neck, squeezing her tight.

"Thank you! You know you're the best, right?"

"Oh, you bet," Nat grinned and pressed her protégé closer.

Lucy pulled back and looked up at the redhead. "Are you gonna tell Steve? Because I don't know how he'll react."

"I'll handle it, don't worry," she nodded, and Lucy felt another bit of unease lifting from her chest.

She sunk back down next to Nat who reached for the remote and turned the TV back on, both of them content to just sit and enjoy each other's company.

###

Lucy leaned forward on the blanket to grab the neon highlighter and returned to coloring her text. The birds were tweeting excitedly and the sun wasn't yet strong enough to make sitting outside unbearably hot. Memorial Day had passed in the usual fashion, ceremonies in the city and meetings with various commanders, so the Avengers spent a deserved week off at the base upstate. The kids had relocated outside after brunch and made themselves at home on a blanket with lots of Snapple and Oreos, surrounded by books and papers. The end of the year was coming up and that meant SATs for all of them and various AP exams for Peter and Lucy. She was determined to take all of them this year to make room for college level courses in her senior year. She didn't want to spend four years in college – to her that was just a waste of time. Groaning loudly, she bent back over her papers and leaned towards Wanda.

"I'll trade you two sets of notes on Anna Karenina if you give me what you got on Crime and Punishment," she gave the witch her most convincing smile but only got a huff in return.

"Two sets of notes for the entirety of Crime and Punishment? Be trippin'," the witch grinned. "But I'll tell you what. If you finish offAnna Karenina, we can trade."

Lucy nodded in concession. "Alright, fair enough. Give me two hours."

The two were disturbed by a pen suddenly flying between them.

"I need your help for a sec," Peter caught Lucy's glance and he looked quite desperate. "Can we go over the stupid magnetism chapter? I just don't get it and I absolutely cannot fail the AP exam. I need to do college physics with you next year!"

"Relax, you won't fail," Lucy moved over to his side. "I'll explain it, watch."

After she finished and Peter promised her he'd understood, Wanda grabbed hold of the spider and the two started to go over their English exam. Lucy grinned. She'd never been happier that the exam in December had been the last English exam she'd ever have to do. After the A+ there was nothing more to do to improve her grades.

The trio kept working in harmonious silence until Peter's phone suddenly pinged. His expression changed as he read the text and he jumped out, spilling the cookies and messing up the papers.

"What happened?" Lucy tried unsuccessfully to keep some of the loose papers from spreading across the grass.

Peter looked up at the two hurriedly. "I think May's in trouble."

"What?" Wanda jumped up and threw a look on Peter's phone.

Lucy scrambled to her feet and glanced at the text too.

_"Little spiders should be careful to leave momma spiders all alone._

_Never know what could happen to 'em when the crime-fighting baby is hundreds of miles away._

_Stop your little charade and leave Queens be – and nothing is gonna happen to your aunt._

_You've been warned. If you don't comply, things aren't endin' pretty for either one of you."_

"I always thought Nat was the momma spider," Lucy mused, scrambling her forehead but shut up as Wanda's elbow landed in her ribs.

"You gotta show this to Tony immediately."

When Peter didn't respond to her, Wanda turned to Lucy and then back to him.

"Hey, do you hear me?"

Peter looked up now, but not at the redhead. "Can you figure out where this came from? Trace the IP address?" he asked Lucy with so much desperation in his voice that she just sighed and took the phone.

"I don't think that they'd be stupid enough not to use a VPN. Probably dark net stuff," she murmured as she tapped furiously on the phone.

Wanda furrowed her brows and shook her head. "If you think you can do this on your own, you're crazy. I'm telling Tony."

Lucy sighed and looked up at the witch. "Of course not. I just wanted to see what I can get from this. We're not stupid enough to do this on our own." She looked up at Peter who had a determined look on his face and furrowed her own brows. "At least I'm not – Peter, please be sensible."

"Yeah of course, you find anything?" he asked impatiently.

Lucy shook her head. "I can't get past the firewall." She handed him the phone back. "You gotta give this to Tony, this is nothing I could crack."

Peter nodded slowly and took the phone. Without another word, he turned towards their quarters and took off. Wanda and Lucy shared a quick look and then ran after him.

###

"They've used some form of triple security, no wonder you couldn't crack it. Nice try with the Trojan though," Tony grinned at Lucy and she returned the smile.

"So what about May?" The worry in Peter's voice was still clear and Pep placed a calming arm around his shoulder.

"We'll decode where this message came from and then we'll pay them a little visit. An unpleasant visit, I guess," Tony said grimly. Anyone messing with his loved ones would feel his anger, Lucy knew nothing better.

"And in the meantime?" Peter sounded pretty rude at this point but no one could hold it against him. May was the only biological family he had left.

Steve stepped forward. "We've notified May –"

"-and did you get a response yet?" Peter interrupted him, now earning a look from Pepper.

"Not yet, but she's still at work so the earliest we'll hear back from her is in a few hours," Natasha now spoke up, leaning against the wall behind Tony, arms crossed and with a frown on her face.

"You need to calm down, Peter," she continued rationally but Lucy saw the sympathy in her eyes. "There is likely no actual threat behind those words and we have an undercover Shield detail with her anyway."

"But somehow they still figured everything out. Someone got close to her and that protection squad didn't prevent it, did they?" Peter's voice was raised and Lucy watched worriedly as Nat raised her eyebrows. Peter was getting dangerously close to being insolent.

"They can't control everyone she gets into contact with, whether at work or in her free time. I understand that you're upset and worried but losing your temper and acting rashly is of absolutely no use." Nat was sporting a full-on frown now, but Peter apparently didn't take the hint.

"That's easy for you to say! They're obviously targeting the three of us! First Lucy's parents, now May-"

"Great, let's bring that up again!" Lucy mumbled darkly. "It's been about five minutes."

Peter spun around to her. "You're the first person who should understand how I feel!"

"Yeah, like no one else here has experienced their loved ones being threatened!" Lucy retorted snippily.

"Oh, you think you're so smart-"

Lucy threw her hands up. "Wait, how is this now about me?"

"Both of you, stop it." Pepper stepped in between the two and, after giving Lucy a look, turned to Peter and took him by the shoulder. "You need to take a few deep breaths. Lashing out at the people here that are trying to help isn't useful in the least."

While Peter didn't look happy or, god forbid, apologized, he did stay silent for the rest of the discussion.

Lucy let her gaze wander across the room. Nat had leaned back against the counter with Steve waiting next to her, knowing this wasn't his area of expertise. Tony and Bruce were still bent over the computer and decoding the message and IP address. Peter's dark look remained on his face and Wanda sported a deep frown.

"I think this is as far as we'll get," Tony said straightening up and before Peter could jump in angrily, he continued. "We need to let the program do its job and check back in a couple of hours to see whether it yields any results."

Peter was ready to throw a fit again it seemed, but Nat stepped forward immediately.

"If anything comes up in the meantime, the security detail will handle it. We've just got to wait and use this time productively."

While she gave Peter a serious look, the younger spider looked away, probably on purpose. Lucy definitely understood his predicament. It was highly unnerving to have threats stand against family members but at the same time, she knew exactly there was nothing they could do. May was safe – there was nothing safer than a protective Shield squad – and as soon as they'd figured out where the threat came from, Tony might even let Peter do some retribution. Or at the least see what happened to whoever dared to threaten May.

Lucy took Peter's arm and firmly led the spider out of the room. Wanda followed immediately and the two were determined to take Peter's mind off the worry about May, at least until there was news.

It didn't work. Peter was not interested in any of their help and after being brushed off for the umpteenth time, they gave up. Retreating to their blanket and the abandoned books outside, they continued studying. Lucy was of course worried, but she also knew that the protection detail Shield had placed with May was perfectly capable of taking care of any threats. Until they knew who was behind it, they didn't know where to strike anyway and going up to Syracuse would only alarm any bad guys. Lucy knew when a situation wasn't going anywhere, so she concentrated on the Russian text in front of her and decided to use the time productively. An agent's time was only wasted if it was filled with worrying. On a mission, she'd be in danger constantly but still had to plan and think tactically.

The two girls worked quietly together until it was time to get back inside for dinner. They gathered their things and Lucy threw her schoolwork on her desk before hurrying downstairs to the big common area. Most of the others were already helping with dinner, and Lucy slipped into the kitchen to carry out some of the salads. The table was set and almost everyone assembled, when Pepper came into the room, out of breath and visibly shaken.

"I can't find Peter anywhere," she said, her voice quivering and Lucy was sure there were already tears forming in her eyes. It wasn't surprising – all of them had a clear idea of where the spider was.

Tony only furrowed his brows and with a dark expression he asked, "Is Peter still in the building, Jarvis?"

"No, Sir, he is not on the premises anymore," the A.I.'s response came immediately and there was a collective sigh around the table.

"Not again," Steve mumbled and Nat gave an ominous look back.

"Major déjà vu," Lucy commented into the quiet room. "Seems like I'm the only one who hasn't run away yet… maybe I should get on that," she added dryly.

With the severe look she got from Nat that clearly said, "don't you dare" and between Wanda's annoyed glance and Pepper's unbelieving eyes, she swallowed.

"Just a joke guys, I wouldn't actually do that – so what are we gonna do about Peter?" she quickly tried to redirect the topic again.

"We'll get him back, of course." Steve pushed his chair back as he leaned his elbows on the table. "I'm assuming we all think he's in Syracuse?" he added slightly insecure, but Tony agreed with a nod.

"And once we get him, he'll wish he never left this building."

Lucy and Wanda exchanged a look - they knew this tone very well. Before either of them could get a word in, Nat turned and spoke up.

"No matter what happens, you're both staying here," she said firmly and, anticipating resistance, continued immediately. "Don't even think about leaving the compound, understood?"

Lucy had to swallow as she saw her mentor's eyes and girls knew better than to argue with that tone, so they nodded decisively.

Meanwhile, Rhodey and Clint had gotten up, sighing and probably very annoyed with the spider for initiating a chase during their week off. They definitely envied Sam who had, with great foresight, booked a trip down to Mexico with some old airmen friends.

"We'll be ready in ten," Clint said, already halfway out the door when Tony's voice stopped him.

"Wait a minute. If Peter did go to Syracuse, like we all assume," he paused and nods around the room confirmed his words, "then whoever sent that threat must've been alerted to his presence."

Rhodey groaned loudly and leaned on the back of his chair, Clint turned around and plopped down again and Nat focused her gaze on Tony.

"The program should've yielded some results by now," Bruce said rationally. "Why don't we check those first and then decide where we need to focus."

The calm, direct manner of the scientist seemed to refocus Tony as well.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., pull up the results." He opened up the holographic disk and some numbers ran across the screen.

"Interesting," Tony mumbled, the sequences apparently making sense to him.

Wanda threw Lucy a look, but not even the little genius could understand what those figures meant.

"The IP address isn't from Syracuse." Tony broke the silence suddenly. He turned to the rest of the table. "It came from Queens."

Lucy furrowed her brows. That meant someone from Queens had to have found out about Peter being Spiderman, had to have found out that May moved to Syracuse and had to go through the trouble to establish a dark server to text Peter. That was a lot of work for an empty threat.

Tony and Steve seemed to share her thoughts as they exchanged a long look and apparently came to an understanding.

"We'll split up," Steve spoke up, but paused when he realized that Nat was looking at him expectantly, waiting to speak up. He nodded towards her, "Natasha?"

"The report from the protective squad just came in and it corroborates the analysis." She pointed towards the StarkPad in front of her. "No unusual activity around May and no threatening behavior by anyone. They've even performed background checks on her known acquaintances, but nothing came up."

Steve gave an approving smile and continued. "Then it all seems to add up. One team goes up to Syracuse and catches up with Peter before he does something rash. The other deals with the origin of the threat before they have a chance to act and any repercussions from that."

"We assume that it's some small criminal gang or unit that deals in Queens and that Spiderman had a few run-ins with. They probably won't have the guts to go as far as targeting May on the other side of the state, but we'll pay them a visit and make sure." Tony's voice had gotten pretty serious and Lucy had to muster all her self-discipline to not beg to be let on this mission. Nat would never let her out - after all, it had been barely over two months since she'd destroyed an entire yacht and Lucy knew it took more than a few months on good behavior to rectify a mistake like that. But it didn't mean that she would be at all calm until they brought Peter back and dealt with the threat itself.

"Tony, Natasha and I will go to Queens," Steve said in his distinct mission voice and Lucy could feel the usual tension rising, whenever they started to plan. "Clint and Rhodey go up to Syracuse to get Peter."

Nat looked up from her Pad again. "He left in the early afternoon, and considering it took him at least ninety minutes to get into the city, the earliest bus he would catch is the 4:45pm. That means he is somewhere between Scranton and Birmingham now and will arrive in Syracuse at 10:50pm."

Rhodey and Clint exchanged a look.

"We'll take the small jet up anyway and explain the entire situation to May before he gets there," Clint decided. "Much less fuss from him if he's got three adults opposing him."

After Steve had given his ok, the two got up and left towards the prep room, chatting and pretty relaxed all-in-all.

"That leaves the three of us – since the situation will _probably_ not escalate so far that we'll need the green guy," Tony nodded towards Bruce who seemed quite pleased with that decision.

Nat nodded curtly and got up, squeezing Lucy's shoulder as she passed her chair and walked towards the Shield quarters with Tony. Steve followed them after giving the girls a small smile.

"We'll be back soon. This shouldn't be too difficult." With that he also walked out and Lucy, Wanda and Pepper were left at the dinner table.

###

After helping to clean the kitchen and leaving Pepper to some SI stuff, the two girls had tried to get some more studying done, but with Peter gone it was impossible to concentrate. Instead, they turned on Netflix and attempted to keep their minds off any troubling topics. It wasn't a complete success. Lucy kept her eye on the clock almost constantly, trying to figure out where each party was at currently.

9pm. Nat, Tony and Steve should be in Queens by now, probably preparing to enter the place where the IP address owner lived.

9:30. There was probably a fight going on. A small crime syndicate in Queens, that was a warmup for Nat, Lucy told herself, in a vain attempt to calm her nerves.

10pm. Most likely still fighting. Depending on how big the opponent force was. Maybe on their way back? Maybe clearing out? Maybe damage control? Maybe follow up? A look to Wanda confirmed that the other girl's thoughts were quite similar to her own, so Lucy just turned up the volume, drowning her thoughts in the voices of Full House.

10:45. Peter should be close to Syracuse now. Rhodey and Clint were already waiting at May's, having explained the situation to her. The others still hadn't returned, but Lucy was still hoping that they're fight was over and they were now on the way back.

At 11:30 Pepper came in to check on the two of them. She tried to mask it, but Lucy could definitely recognize the worry in her eyes – for both Peter and Tony.

"I haven't heard anything from either of them yet, but Hill just called and said we should come over."

Lucy swallowed hard. That could both mean that the squad was on their way back or that something had gone wrong. Not wanting to waste any time though, the girls scrambled up and followed Pepper downstairs to the common area and then out to the hallway but instead of walking out the main door, they walked straight ahead towards the big sliding doors. Pepper entered the first code and they opened, revealing a second set a few feet behind it, this time made from glass. Pepper pressed her hand on the reader and the doors revealed the main floor of the Shield quarters.

Hill was waiting at the foot of the first set of stairs with an unreadable expression. Damn Shield agents. Without a single word, she led them upstairs and to the left towards the bridge.

"Steve, Natasha and Tony finished down in Queens," she started and the way she said it conveyed to Lucy that nothing had gone wrong and there were no injuries. "It was a little more complicated than expected though. The IP address came from a college kid who had found out Spiderman's true identity and worked anonymously for a syndicate based in Queens. He was intelligent enough to not give away anything and I think we intimated him enough to stop doing any of that. In any case, we put a Shield unit onto him." Any concerns Lucy might've had were squashed at that. College kids were easy to deal with.

"After that they went to take down that Queens syndicate which was pretty quick."

Lucy felt Pepper relax next to her and just a moment later, the doors slid open and revealed the squad walking in.

Nat made her way directly towards Lucy to engulf her in her arms, while Steve hugged Wanda and Tony pressed a kiss on Pepper's mouth.

"I'll have the report on your desk by tomorrow night," Steve, still with Wanda in his arms, turned towards Hill who nodded in response.

Tony turned towards the agent as well, an expectant look on his face. "So what's the status on Rhodey, Clint and the little spider?"

Hill smiled. "They're on their way back, all three of them and they should be here in about thirty minutes. Nothing happened but apparently Peter was slightly shocked to have such a welcome committee. I think I'll let them tell the rest of the story."

Relief spread across the group but Lucy also noticed Tony and Pepper's facial expressions darken. This wasn't going to over for Peter once he set foot on the compound.

The next half hour passed pretty quickly, Nat and Steve retelling the events of the night, with Steve already starting on the report. They were interrupted when the door opened once again, this time revealing Clint and Rhodey and in their midst a very contrite looking Peter.

Tony and Pepper wasted no time in walking over to him, throwing thankful glances towards the two adults that brought him back, but considering the spider with a stern glance.

Peter did his best not to look up at the tow of them and Lucy definitely felt for him. On the other hand, he had acted so incredibly stupid, she couldn't really blame Pepper and Tony for being mad at him. Tony said something so quiet Lucy couldn't make out what it was, but Peter turned on his heel and made his way towards the family quarters. Pepper followed suit and Tony too, after one last thankful smile to the others.

Rhodey and Clint collapsed on the seats around the table while everyone else waited for them to start.

"Come on, guys!" Lucy called out impatiently when they stayed silent for minutes. "Hill said you should tell the story yourselves."

Clint grinned and reached out to squeeze her shoulder, while Rhodey sighed with a smile.

"Alright then, but there really isn't much to the story. It's mostly hilarious when you think how Peter overreacted."

When everyone still had the same expectant look on his face, he finally explained. "We got to Syracuse pretty quickly and May had just come home from work. She was a little shocked to see us but once we explained she told us that there hadn't been anything unusual going on the past week." He grinned. "Then she got really upset when she realized that Peter was coming all the way up on his own without telling anyone but she also seemed quite happy to let Tony deal with that."

Clint nodded. "She refused to let us wait at the bus stop, saying that if Peter wanted to come all the way up here, he might as well make the trip completely to her house." He paused. "And then she made us sit down and have dinner. It was so good." He seemed to remember the food as a dreamy expression came across his face.

"Well, I guess that question 'Are you hungry?' has been settled then," Natasha commented dryly, but with a little sparkle in her eye.

Before anyone could respond, Wanda yawned so loudly, that all eyes redirected themselves on her.

"And I think that's the call to bed right there," Steve said, standing up and steading the girl at the same time.

Lucy agreed wholeheartedly – it had been an exhausting day and especially a mentally exhausting evening.

Hill wished them all a goodnight before they made their way back to the family quarters. Wanda and Steve trailed off to their own floor and so did Rhodey and Clint.

Before she disappeared into her room, Lucy gave Nat a tight hug which the redhead gladly returned. Sometimes it was just good to appreciate what you had in life, Lucy thought, just before she fell into a deep slumber.

###

"And you've cleared this with everyone?" Quentin's voice was definitely slightly nervous, Lucy thought with a grin. "I don't think I'd like Captain America just randomly seeing me strip. That would definitely mess up my childhood memories."

"Oh, god," Lucy turned to face him with a pained expression. "Please tell me you didn't idolize Cap as a kid? Because if that's the case, then I'd have to ask you to leave."

Quentin gave her a wicked grin. "Don't worry, I've never really been one for heroes. I've always liked the villains more." With that he easily picked her up and gently threw her on the couch. Somehow Lucy hoped that he wouldn't be as gentle after dinner.

"You wanna have first pick with the pizza?"

"What a gentleman you are!" Lucy replied sarcastically before grabbing a piece of pepperoni.

It had been a week since Peter's stunt and obviously he was still grounded. They hadn't gone upstate as it was one of those rare weekends when almost all the Avengers had time off and no meeting scheduled. Quentin had come over in the early evening and they ordered food to have at least a little bit of privacy. He'd met Nat and passed that test (which was the one Lucy had been most worried about) but he still had to meet the other guys in the morning at breakfast. Though that could wait. Right now, there were other things on Lucy's mind.

The movie they'd chosen wasn't anything deep or really worth watching but a comedy still seemed the best choice for setting the mood. Nothing worse than a tear-jerking drama to start off a sexy night. Especially since Lucy wouldn't be the one crying.

It went as she'd expected (and planned). After about half an hour, Lucy started cuddling closer to Quentin who seemed to take the hint as he turned towards her and without much pretence pressed a passionate kiss on her. As that was exactly what Lucy had been playing at, she returned the kiss just as forcefully and moved up a little higher. Quentin easily turned her around so that she was lying on the couch and him right on top of her. She could feel his breath on her skin as he kissed his way up her neck and she just closed her eyes to give herself completely to the feeling.

When he got back up to her face, she propped herself up a little and went in for another kiss, this time opening her mouth slightly to invite Quentin's tongue in. It seemed that was the sign he'd been waiting for and the kiss this time was even heightened in passion than the one before. Lucy sighed. He tasted like sweet mint. Just so, so good. Not wanting to let go, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed him closer, distinctly feeling his crotch. With a grin she thanked her training for making her flexible enough. It was excited to feel that Quentin was as ready for this as she was.

Deciding that the couch was too small and realizing that Lucy apparently couldn't wait, Quentin picked her up again – Lucy almost hated herself for loving how easily he could do it – and carried her to her bed. This time, he was gently though. He dropped her onto the mattress, revealing his desire to get on with it, and Lucy really couldn't blame him for it. While much of their relationship had been cute and courteous, though not so much as to make Lucy barf, they'd always been crazy about each other physically. And now that it was finally happening and Lucy was sober for the first time in years, she just wanted to get him inside of her.

With a quick motion, she threw off her shirt, while Quentin took of his. Lucy just stared at him hungrily. She hadn't realized just how muscular he was, but there was definitely a six-pack. Which only drove her crazier. He crawled onto the bed slowly, this time kissing his way down her neck, over her stomach, further and further down. He played with the buttons of her jeans, before he stripped them off of her, leaving her in her bra and panties. Lucy got on her knees, opening his zipper and tucked down his jeans, revealing that he was quite excited to get going. She grinned up at him and he returned a wicked one, crawling over her.

"So, you seem ready to go, huh?" he asked in a low voice that had Lucy melting, but she kept her grin.

"Well, it's pretty obvious with you, isn't it?" she responded in a sassy voice and Quentin shook his head.

"Oh, you're running your mouth again. Seems like we need to do something about that."

Lucy couldn't explain it but his words stirred something deep inside of her and threw her closer to the edge. She decided to push him further.

"Yeah, you're really bad at hiding it… and who knows if it'll be taken care of tonight?"

Quentin's eyes sparkled with lust and a kind of darkness. "So that's how you wanna play? Alright."

He gripped her arms, pinning them both above her head and Lucy felt a surge of excitement surging to her core. She always knew she had a thing for dominant guys but who knew Quentin could be so adventurous in bed?

She had to swallow as he looked down on her sternly. "We'll see if you get to find relief tonight."

Lucy was both taken aback and incredibly turned on by that.

"So what do I have to do to convince you that I deserve it?" Her voice had gotten low and husky and she could see that it did things to Quentin although he still kept his facial expression straight.

He smiled down wickedly at her. "If you're a good girl, maybe I'll let you have some fun."

With a few determined moves, both got rid of the rest of their clothes and Quentin dove down. Lucy gasped for air – his mouth felt amazing. Quentin definitely knew what he was doing. Her entire body was filled with heat that crept from her center all the way to her toes and fingertips. She was close, so close but apparently Quentin had noticed had too as he abruptly stopped. He only responded with a grin and a shake of his head to her frustrated moan.

"Told you, you had to do more work than that. Everything comes so easy to you… well tonight won't."

Lucy couldn't believe how he managed to turn her insides with just the tone of his voice. But she would gladly return the favor and earn some good girl points, so she lowered herself in front of him. She was good at it and within a few minutes Quentin seemed very caught up. His hand went to her hair pressed her closer to him, massaging her head at the same time. Again, the dominant gesture only spurred Lucy on and made her body tingle with anticipation. She had planned on letting him end in the same way he had, but his hands around her head didn't allow her to move and so he was able to finish. It didn't bother her – in fact, him asserting strength like that made it even hotter.

When she looked back into his eyes he smiled at her approvingly. "See, I knew you could be a good girl if you want to. Now let's show you a good time."

He pressed her down roughly and towered above. Lucy breath quickened and she could feel him entering her impatiently. He didn't give her any time to adjust before starting to thrust and ecstasy filled her entire body. The fact that he'd driven her to the edge but not let her come only heightened the sensation now. He kept thrusting hard and long into her and Lucy had to grasp the edges of her duvet, her fingers and toes curling. The ball of light and heat was building in her center, creeping out into her limps and finally it exploded, with an energy she'd never felt before.

Panting deeply, Quentin rolled off her and started kissing her neck again. Lucy just hummed happily.

"That was very nice. You're really good, I gotta admit."

"I'll take that as a massive compliment," Quentin murmured. "And I'm surprised you can do as you're told. I guess you just have to find the right incentives."

Lucy gave a small laugh and gave him a slight push that he easily absorbed and responded by cradling her in his arms. It felt good, snuggling next to him, her head pressed against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. With that thought in mind, Lucy drifted off.

###

A tickle on her nose woke her softly. As she opened her eyes, she looked up into Quentin's warm brown eyes. He had been trailing her nose with his finger and was now smiling down at her.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, finally awake?"

Lucy stretched her arms. "Mhhh, what time is it?"

"Nine thirty, but you said brunch is at ten?"

He remembered – god, Steve would love him. Lucy made a mental note to mention that.

"You're correct. Bathroom's right through that door there." She pointed straight ahead, and Quentin disappeared, wearing only his boxers, with a smile to her.

Lucy couldn't stop the giddy feeling in her stomach. It wasn't exactly butterflies, just the feeling she had when she'd had sex sober – and it had been good. Humming softly, she grabbed Quentin's shirt and pulled it on. She wouldn't be able to go down to brunch with that, but there was no chance he was getting it back.

When Quentin came out of the shower, dressed all properly again, but the sleeves of his fresh shirt rolled up to reveal his lower arms, Lucy felt another surge of pride that she'd landed that. Well, not surprising, but whatever.

With two steps she was by him and grinned up at him, smiling happily and giving her to another long kiss. Not long though, as she pushed him back and hopped into the shower herself.

Quentin had packed his stuff together but looked slightly worried when she got out.

"Oh, it's gonna be fine. Steve is gonna love you," Lucy said with a grin. "They all might just be a little protective. Nat likes you, that's already a major step."

"She likes me?" Quentin turned to her doubtfully. "I'm not sure. She's scary as hell," he murmured.

"Relax," Lucy said as she pushed him towards the door. "I'm hungry, so let's go."

With an incredulous look, Quentin looked back at her but she just grinned and made her way to the elevator.

When they got to the kitchen, everyone was already assembled and scattered around the table. Of course, they all looked up as Lucy and Quentin walked in, so she decided to get it over with immediately.

"Good morning guys. This is Quentin. Quentin, this is – everyone."

"Good morning, it's great to meet you all."

Lucy thought Quentin sounded pretty sure of himself but she definitely felt a slight tremor in him next to her. She also hadn't missed Clint, Tony, Rhodey, Bruce, Sam and Steve's skeptical looks. They better not embarrass her.

Steve was the first one to walk up and give Quentin a measured but not unfriendly smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Quentin." He reached out his hand and Quentin shook it politely.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," he responded. Lucy grinned. So that whole childhood thing was true.

After they sat down and started to distribute the food, Wanda threw Lucy a look and Lucy just responded with a grin that had Wanda smile knowingly and Peter almost choke at their inference. Quentin thankfully didn't realize as he was caught up in an interrogation by the guys.

"So you went to school in Connecticut the past few years?" Clint asked politely but Lucy felt a certain undertone to his question. "How come you've transferred to the city now?"

Quentin swallowed. "There's just more opportunity in the city, sir. Internships, career-wise, all of these things have become quite important from Junior year onwards?"

"It's just, usually people don't change schools so late unless something happened at school. You wouldn't be the first one." Tony took over and his tone was seemingly lax and laid-back, but he couldn't hide the sense of threat.

Quentin replied hastily. "Oh no, sir, nothing happened, definitely."

"Quentin's going to Stanford next year," Lucy felt like she had to intervene.

"California, huh?" Sam said with definite judgement in his voice, turning to the young man. "You wanna experience the party scene down there?" A dubiously understanding tone laced the next sentence. "The east coast is quite serious sometimes, right?"

Quentin swallowed hard and Lucy winced inside. It was cute that they were trying to protect her, but Quentin was really one of the least harmful guys in her entire school – god forbid, had she brought Harry home!

Nevertheless, Quentin mustered his bravery and answered without a quiver in his voice. "I just spent my entire life so far on the east coast, sir, I really wanted to see something different. Also, it's an amazing college for pre-law and there's some big companies out there that hire a lot of college leavers."

A grumpy 'hm' was the only response from Sam and before anyone could say anything else, Lucy jumped in again.

"Wanda, how's your musical prep going? All those one-on-one lessons?"

Thankfully, the witch picked up on Lucy's hint and started talking about every detail of her past lesson, engulfing everyone and finally getting the guys to leave Quentin alone.

Brunch was finished not long after and Lucy shoved Quentin out the door quickly, by emphasizing how much studying he had to get done. Before she followed him out to the elevator though, she threw the guys and exasperated look that they hopefully understood.

When they were finally alone in the elevator, Quentin let out a long breath that Lucy was sure he had held in since leaving the table.

"That… wasn't too bad," he lied, but Lucy just gave a short laugh and put an arm around his waist, pressing her head against his chest.

"It's okay, they can be scary. They really didn't have to grill you like that though," she said with a frown.

Now it was Quentin's turn to chuckle. "It's alright, they just wanna protect you. And you warned me, so it's fair and square."

"But now that you've gone through the baptism of fire, you'll hopefully come over a few more times." She grinned up at him and his only response was trailing his fingers softly down her hair to her cheek and finally her neck.

It was pretty warm outside, even for a morning in May and Lucy took a deep breath. Quentin had turned towards her and eyed her with a serious look.

"I had an amazing time last night"

"So did I," Lucy mumbled and Quentin grinned knowingly.

"And there is something else I wanted to ask you." He stocked but Lucy waited patiently to let him continue. "I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to prom?"

An involuntary smile spread on Lucy's face and she nodded. "I would love to!"

Quentin pressed a passionate kiss on her and Lucy just let go for a minute, letting him be in complete control, even though she responded with the same intensity. After he let go of her again, he had a huge grin on his face.

"Let me know what color your dress will be." With that he turned and made his way up Park Avenue.

Lucy didn't move for a minute, just standing there, soaking in the moment and trying to keep his taste in her mouth for just a moment longer. When she finally made her way upstairs again, she couldn't keep her face from smiling stupidly. Apparently, that's what feelings did – and maybe it wasn't so bad giving up control sometimes.


	16. Straight from Central Casting

Straight from Central Casting

"Ok, you have to give us more details than that," Liv said with determination in her voice. "Like, how long?"

"I don't know if I wanna hear that."

Lucy laughed at Wanda's howl.

"Let's just say," she grinned wickedly. "It's not on the small side... ouch!" She didn't manage to evade the pillow that Wanda had hit her with quite harshly.

"Alright fine," Olivia grinned too. "Let's change the subject to one Harry Osborne."

Lucy sighed as if in pain. "You really have it out for me tonight." 

"Is that all completely in the past now? I mean you and Quentin seem quite official."

"We're not official," Lucy interjected quickly. "Geez, that whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing makes me wanna bolt. I hate commitment!"

Both Wanda and Liv had huge grins on their faces.

"Oh, come on, Liv! You're not official with Ben and everyone knows you'll end up together."

"But that's different, that's predestination," the brunette smiled good naturedly – an expression Lucy hadn't seen on her face in years.

Wanda frowned slightly. "Doesn't it bother you?" When Liv turned to her questioningly, she elaborated. "I mean the fact that your entire life is planned out from the start."

Liv shook her head. "Not really, if I'm honest. I like the plan. I think most of us just don't know anything else and it's not the worst way a life could go. It's pretty comfortable." She grinned. "If you want someone who broke out, look no further than Lucy here. Although that might be the Carter blood in you." She gave her a friendly push with her elbow. "And it's not that you've given up everything. Just the fact that you have direction in life."

Lucy nodded slowly. It was a blessing and a curse. At least the others weren't in constant fear that they wouldn't fulfil their own hopes. If they got into college and kept the penthouse, they'd achieved everything. She wanted to run Shield and be an Avenger – oh and obviously the fact that by that point she'd put her life constantly in danger. But as much as Liv thought her life was already planned, Lucy felt that part of her had also always been clear. Her grandmother founded Shield, her cousin had a major leadership position, and, in some ways, it was a family business. She grinned inwardly – since most of her family was in the organisation anyhow.

Wanda grabbed another cookie. "I wanna know how you do it. I'm far too nervous to date anyone and apart from that," she smiled wonkily, "no one is interested in me."

"That's not true," Olivia interrupted her immediately. "I've definitely seen some seniors staring at you. Simon? He's fine."

A few months ago, Lucy would've assumed it was part of a twisted game Olivia played, but it was a different story today. She seemed unpretentious and genuinely enjoying the normal teenage experience. Not that it was normal for any of the three girls, but Lucy had to admit that it was relaxing.

Wanda's expression seemed everything but relaxed though as she pulled a sceptic face. "I don't know… I haven't dated yet, but I honestly don't feel the need to. It seems like a giant waste of time."

Lucy started laughing as Liv nodded enthusiastically. "You're correct. But it can soothe that carnal need within us-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there," Lucy interrupted the brunette. "You're not ruining Wanda's innocence today."

"Fine," Liv conceded grumpily. "As soon as there is even the slightest possibility of you wanting to date, you'll come to me though. I'll find the perfect guy for you," she turned to Wanda who had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"It's actually true, Liv knows every available bachelor on this entire island," Lucy added as she grabbed a fresh can of coke.

The slumber party was something they hadn't done since the start of junior high, especially considering the absence of alcohol and any other kind of enlightening substances. Not that Lucy had any illusions about converting Olivia away from all that – she didn't want to do that. Her friend had her own life, but she felt a certain satisfaction at the fact that she was able to entertain her in a way that was a lot healthier and far more productive – let alone in Natasha's opinion.

They didn't get much sleep, as expected, but they found solutions to a few problems that had been plaguing them, from the musical to Lucy's love life.

She regretted horribly that Wanda and Liv had grown so close because as soon as they got up the next morning, both wouldn't stop pestering her until she relented and agreed to go dress shopping that day.

"We're going to 'New York Dress'," Olivia said, as if Lucy had gone anywhere else. Wanda just grinned, having no idea what anything meant, but quite obviously enjoying Lucy being tormented.

"Thanks, Liv, but we're not quite getting married yet." Lucy pulled a face and brushed off Olivia's first suggestion.

"You'll get there," the other girl mumbled but the blonde tuned her out.

"That's not half bad," she nodded towards a dark blue, sparkly gown that Wanda held up.

When she got out of the fitting room though, the redhead gave a wonky smile. "I don't know, it looks more like the Oscars than prom."

Liv agreed. "It's Columbia but even that might be too much."

Lucy nodded, disappeared again and got into the next one.

"That looks like the Met Gala theme this year was 'raunchy prohibition prostitute'," Olivia laughed as soon as Lucy stepped out and Wanda couldn't help but snicker at the gruesome pink dress.

Lucy frowned. "Alright, I just wanted to see what it looked like."

A few dresses later she actually turned in one she liked. The light champagne fabric fell down in smooth waves, she liked the glitter that started at the off-the-shoulder sleeves and went down beyond the waist and it didn't look like it belonged on a red carpet.

Wanda and Liv were first stunned when she stepped out which Lucy took as a good sign, before their affirmations came in. Not wanting to stretch her luck, she decided that that was the one and after she paid, the girls made their way down to West 35th to grab some bagels and coffee.

Lucy was surprised at current situation. A few months back she had already been very happy but never in a million years had she expected that she'd get a mature boyfriend and that she'd be able to unite Wanda and Liv in one room for anything but a fight to the death. Life went down strange paths sometimes.

###

The fresh morning air was warming up slowly as they jogged through Central Park. Natasha waking them up at 5:30AM every morning to go on a morning run had been a staple since Lucy moved into the tower and they only stopped in the winter when the air got too cold to bear. They'd complained in the beginning because getting up that early tore on Lucy's self-discipline to keep herself from kicking whoever was taking her blanket away, but all three soon realized that the time alone with Nat was pretty great. She was easy to talk to which was nothing new to Lucy, but Peter and Wanda enjoyed the quality time as well. It had become one of their little traditions, just like their car playlist that had come about through careful negotiation with Happy, so Lucy was excited when she got woken up in March at that ridiculously early hour again.

After getting their daily post-run coffee, the group made their way back up to the tower and Lucy quickly changed into her school uniform. There weren't many days in the school year left, but for some reason all the major events happened now. They had only a few more rehearsals before the musical and in between those, she had to fit in the parent-teacher meeting, prom and getting her exam results back. The thought already gave her cold shivers.

Amidst all the end-of-year chaos, the day went by pretty fast and, since it was a Tuesday, the entire tower family congregated in the living room for the tower meeting. Usually there weren't any important announcements beside whether they went upstate that weekend or if someone was gone for a longer period of time. Today though, the adults seemed slightly giddier than usual – well, Tony and Clint.

"So, guys, we have an announcement," Tony began, grinning from ear to ear.

"You don't say!" Lucy couldn't help but throw in the jab in mock astonishment, earning her an exasperated look from the actual speaker.

"It's about our summer vacations, or specifically the lack of one last year – since we had to deal with quite a few changes."

Wanda bumped her elbow excitedly into Lucy's ribs and she snuggled closer to the redhead.

"We've decided that we should go on a bigger vacation this year, so we got ourselves a yacht and for the entirety of July, we'll be sailing across the Mediterranean."

Lucy was startled by Wanda's excited squeal – or maybe it was Peter's, they sounded very similar – and she gave Nat an amazed look who just grinned back.

A vacation would be the perfect way to finally relax and it was even better that everyone was able to come. Even Happy would finally get some time off.

The rest of the meeting was pretty uninteresting compared to this news and by the end, Steve mumbled something about the kids having to go to bed, since the parent-teacher meetings were happening the next day. As if Lucy needed him to remind her. Hoping that her teachers would take pity on her just once, she fell asleep.

###

"I don't have to tell you that she is an incredibly bright girl and I think that she'll do very well with her College Physics next year," Mr Reece smiled at Lucy and then at Nat who nodded and gave a small smile in response. 

"Thank you very much, that's always good to hear."

With that, the two got up and Lucy threw a thankful look towards her physics teacher. These meetings had gone better than expected – apparently her teachers didn't realize that she spent half of class doing something else. Or maybe they didn't care as long as she brought in the results. Whichever way, she was glad Nat didn't hear anything negative – at least not until now. The teacher she'd saved for last was Maria Yahontov and for good reason.

"Ah, Nataliya Romanoff, privyet! Prisazhivaysya, pozhaluysta," the short, dark-haired woman said in her curt tone.

Natasha and Lucy did as she told them to and without much pretense, her teacher began.

"Lucy has been working to a satisfactory standard."

Oh, bozhe moy. That started out well.

"She's easily distracted when she's not interested in the topic and she lacks the self-discipline to persevere if there's a topic or a novel that might be harder than what she can handle. I think this is because most things come very easy to her."

Leave it to the Russian teacher to be blunt. Most of the others had been trying to paint her positive, even if there were obvious faults but not a stone-cold, cold-hearted - she was just glad that they were talking in Russian and no one around could understand them.

"Yes, I can imagine that that could be a problem."

Lucy felt Natasha's disapproving gaze on her and chose to evade it. Thankfully, her teacher continued.

"I do believe that it got better over the course of our time together though."

Lucy breathed out. So, it wasn't too bad.

"Hence, why I think it'd be important for her to take some subjects next year that are not in her regular portfolio, like History or Government."

No, no, no, Lucy's head jerked up. She had been looking forward to getting rid of all that crap in Senior year but by Nat's expression she was sure that that option had just gone out the window.

She wanted to shake Ms Yahontov, but she also felt that it was somewhat justified. She knew she should've paid more attention and while her exam was above standard, she could've taken much more from that course. So instead of arguing, she took a deep breath.

"That sounds like a very good idea, thank you. It is very important to learn that you sometimes have to do things you're not particularly interested in."

Lucy still kept her eyes from meeting Nat's and tried to make herself invisible while the two women talked about her fate.

With a rare smile, Ms Yahontov got up. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Nataliya Romanoff."

Nat reciprocated the niceties and Lucy's teacher turned to her with her curt smile. "You've been a good student. Keep working on your self-discipline and you'll become a great one too."

Lucy almost grinned. Russian motivation truly was something special. As they were walking away, she managed a short look at Natasha's face who watched her in amusement.

"I'm just gonna go ahead and guess that your English teacher and a few others were being much nicer about your work ethic than they rightfully should've been?"

The girl gave a wonky smile back. "Possibly, yeah…"

Nat placed a firm hand on Lucy's shoulder as she navigated her out of the school. "We'll see what subjects you could take next year that'll teach you to develop some perseverance."

Of course, they would. Lucy managed to refrain from rolling her eyes though and since Wanda, Steve, Peter and Tony were already waiting by the car outside the school gates, she quickly made her way down there.

###

"Turn, turn, turn." Wanda directed her sister with a wave of her hand while Peter just stood back, obviously working hard to keep his mouth shut.

"How do I look?" Lucy turned to the spider.

His eyes almost fell out of their sockets. "Like a Disney princess."

Lucy frowned. "I'm not entirely sure, if that's the look I was going for, but I guess it's good enough."

Wanda had done very well with Lucy's hair and make-up and for the first time, it sunk in that she was actually going to prom. Well, Quentin's but still. Quite the statement to make.

The three made their way down to the common area where everyone else was already waiting.

At Lucy's expectant looks, they all gave their approvals, with Steve and Clint especially smitten. They didn't have much time to gush though, as Quentin appeared not much later and delivered a beautiful champagne corsage that Lucy immediately put on her wrist.

With a smile and a tongue-in-cheek remark to the old people not to wait up, they left, Happy being nice enough to drive the two of them.

As they entered the old hall of Columbia, it was unrecognizable. Their prom was not some tacky affair but seemed more like an Upper East Side function – which it was, in a way.

After saying hi to some of Quentin's friends and her own acquaintances from senior year, Lucy and Quentin made their way to the dance floor and just relaxed.

Time went by pretty quickly, no one spiked the punch and the last song was another slow dance. Lucy buried her face in the nape of Quentin's shoulder and one of his hands went up to her hair as the other one traveled down to her lower back. Lucy didn't care who saw – it felt far too good to stop. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay over at Quentin's tonight. That would've been the perfect ending. But as things were, Happy turned up exactly at 1PM, just as prom ended and even though Lucy managed to prolong her goodbye-make-out session for a little while, eventually Quentin pulled back.

"I never knew you could be so clingy," he grinned down at her.

"Tonight was good," Lucy mumbled, kissing his neck. She felt him nod.

"That's true but if I don't get you home in time, this is over a lot sooner."

Lucy pulled back and looked up into his brown eyes. "Why do you always have to be right?" 

When Quentin took a breath, she already interrupted him. "Don't answer that."

She turned back to see the grey Audi with Happy being polite enough to wait inside. "I do have to go, but call me?"

Quentin nodded and pressed one last kiss on her before she turned and climbed into the car. Happy looked back at her through the rear mirror.

"Good night?"

Lucy grinned. "That obvious, huh?"

Happy laughed as he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and down the UWS. "It's nice to see you this happy and Quentin really seems like a nice guy."

"He is," Lucy sighed. "It just makes it so much harder that I have to end it."

She could've sworn Happy almost stepped on the breaks.

"Why would you do that?"

Lucy smiled sadly at Happy's surprise. "Not yet, by the end of the summer. He's going to college in California and I'm not invested enough or ready for the commitment of a long-term relationship. It'd be selfish of me to pretend."

Through the rear mirror, she could see Happy's sad but understanding eyes. "That's really mature of you." He grinned. "Might as well enjoy the time you got now."

Lucy nodded with a wide grin. "Exactly."

###

"But we already went for a run this morning! Even though it's Saturday and we could've slept in," Peter was complaining. Though it was definitely a whine at this point, Lucy thought.

It was true, they had gone on a run this morning, but their training session had also been scheduled for the afternoon. And it promised to be a pretty interesting one, since it wasn't their usual instructors beside Nat, but Tony and Steve were also training them today and they had the big training area at the compound to themselves. Lucy wasn't exactly opposed to that but since both Wanda and Peter had started to complain about the double feature, it felt easy and justified to just follow along with them. She didn't say anything out loud though – she'd overlooked Nat's expression when this whole discussion started and wisely chose to avoid fueling the fire – but her facial expression spoke volumes. Peter and Wanda though continually pestered their mentors and Lucy wasn't exactly surprised that they didn't comply with the direction. They probably wouldn't have argued the same way with Sam or Rhodey, they knew where they could and definitely could not push each mentor.

"Steve, please! It's too much if we have to train today after we've already worked out in the morning. One session a day is enough," Wanda said quite sweetly, definitely trying to appeal to Steve's sense of justice.

He immediately sighed and his resolve already seemed to waver. "I know it's more than usual, but this morning wasn't a real workout, only a short run?"

Lucy had to concede that point, a half hour run really wasn't a true workout, but by now the stubbornness had set in. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it's true! We've already had our exercise today and we're so close to summer break as well!" Her voice had transformed into a whine without her realizing it in time and that was a mistake.

Nat's eyes fixed on her intently and Lucy immediately bit her lip and looked away but it was no use.

"That's it. Lucy."

She took a deep breath in and looked back up at Natasha's stern eyes. When her mentor used that tone, she'd better listen.

"Apparently you still have too much energy to burn if you're still complaining." Nat didn't move a muscle in her face that was set to her usual no-nonsense expression. "Get downstairs, we're having another session. One-on-one."

Lucy sighed and briefly closed her eyes but had enough sense in her not to roll them. She really should've known. Obeying pretty much immediately, she got up, glancing at Peter and Wanda briefly who definitely had sympathy in their eyes but since their mentors didn't act the same way, they just continued to whine.

On her way to the training area Lucy tried to calm herself a little before she was too annoyed to fight. Nat would only wipe the floor with her harder and it'd be no one but her own damn fault.

Downstairs, Lucy quickly changed into her training clothes and stepped on the mat, opposite Nat. She looked at her mentor with a skeptical expression.

"You know the others are still upstairs, whining."

Natasha only grinned in response. "And you're down here, training. You tell me who's in the worse position."

Lucy sighed. "Why are you always twisting my words?"

"I'm not twisting them," her mentor replied dryly. "When I'm riding you about doing something, it's because I see more in you than you do yourself." She grinned again. "And I'm just not a pushover."

Now it was Lucy's turn to almost grin. "Are you saying Tony and Steve are pushovers?"

"In some ways they are," came Nat's curt reply. "But enough distraction, we're training now."

With a sigh, Lucy took a defensive stance and they started trading blows. Needless to say, Natasha took her down multiple times and finally declared the session over when Lucy landed on her back for what felt like the hundredth time.

They got back upstairs to join the others who had planted themselves in the living room and just started a movie. Lucy plopped down in between the other two.

"So I see you managed to get out of training."

At the two nods in response she cocked her head. "What did you do instead after you got them to cave?"

Wanda shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing much, just browsed through Youtube."

As Peter nodded in agreement, Lucy looked straight ahead and smiled slightly.

After the movie finished and everyone broke up for the night, Lucy and Nat walked back to their own floor. As they stepped through the door, Lucy turned and threw her arms around her mentor's neck.

She felt Nat tighten her embrace and after they broke apart, the redhead smiled at her protégé.

"What's that for?"

Lucy grinned in response. "For not being a pushover. And for not letting me hate myself."

###

The bright light was centered on Liv who delivered her lines with the right mixture of sadness and earnest. Lucy grinned, counting down the beats to the start of the music and took a deep breath to get into character.

The loud percussion shook her body and the sudden lights on her and the rest of the group were blinding. Nevertheless, she launched into the opening, her muscle memory effortlessly remembering the moves across the stage. As she passed Liv, the two girls exchanged a grin – not totally out of character – and found their respective "boyfriends".

"_Both my folks. Total jokes. All they do is chew my ass!"_

As she turned from Harry to sing the last bit towards the audience, Lucy searched in the dark auditorium for a glimpse of Nat's face. Wanda and she had peaked through the curtain as the adults came in and took their places, so she knew the general direction and she wasn't wrong. Even though she wasn't able to make out Nat's facial expression, she recognized her red her and threw a mischievous grin in that direction.

Turning to Liv for the next line, the girls traded knowing looks. _"They should just be glad I make it to class."_

"_I don't worry, if I blow my SAT's-"_ Lucy sang the last line with full conviction, before making her way across the stage for the next part.

Behind the curtain, the girls didn't have much time to congratulate themselves on the great opening as they had to change into the gym clothes within only a few lines sung by the boys outside.

The rest of the opening number went just as smoothly as the beginning and Lucy was watching proudly from the back of the stage as Wanda got her first moment in the spotlight, reciting the Lord's prayer.

The shower scene was pretty great – as well as that scene could've gone – and Lucy definitely enjoyed letting loose. What came afterwards was one of her favorite parts of the entire musical – any scene she had with Liv was. Seeing her as such a good girl made it really hard for Lucy to keep her chuckle in.

"Sue, shame on you! What's gotten into you…?" She delivered the lines with a perfect snarl and broke into a genuine chuckle at the next one. "…besides Tommy Ross' tongue!"

The musical continued and as Wanda as Carrie walked across the stage in front of the two of them, Lucy gleefully catcalled her. "Like mother, like daughter!" She'd always loved that line.

The calling got louder and the sneers from the others intensified as they slowly retreated backstage and Wanda burst out into 'Carrie' and Lucy could stop smiling stupidly from the wings.

Liv also grinned at her, whispering softly. "She is just awesome."

Lucy only nodded in response.

A few scenes later, they were all sitting on stage again, at Chris' party and for Olivia and Lucy, it didn't take much pretending.

What did take lots of pretending was Liv playing good-naturedly Sue but she did a pretty great job and Lucy managed to be completely serious as she delivered her last line. "It's _hilarious_!"

The music started and she turned to Liv again. "Oh, sweetie, there's always a runt in every litter – a nobody. And _our_ nobody is Carrie."

She turned towards the audience again as she launched into her song, which she absolutely loved.

"_My daddy taught me you get nowhere being nice"_ – it wasn't exactly wrong and from Liv's hidden grin, she knew the other girl felt the same way.

After Sue's little interlude, Lucy belted her other favorite line. _"My daddy taught me who's on top and who's below"_ – again, not wrong.

Once everyone had left the stage and Lucy was alone in the center, with the harsh stage light only on her, she took a deep breath before ending her song with the unexpectedly vulnerable bit. Again, she directed her words towards the middle of the auditorium where she could spot Nat's red hair.

Her mission of shocking the audience went well, judging by the rapturous applause and she arrived backstage with a huge grin, getting immediately but briefly hugged by Wanda who was on her way back out onto the stage.

Another great scene approached – with the amazing Emma who played an amazing Ms Gardner and Lucy almost felt bad for being so mean to her. But the fun overweighed any other feeling usually.

She could never be so insolent towards a teacher or any person in authority, but Lucy figured Nat and the others wouldn't be completely surprised she had it in her.

The confrontation went over well, and Lucy was convinced they've made their shoving look realistic. Screaming out her last line satisfied something inside of her and so she left he stage with "you can all go to hell!"

'Do me a favor' started with Sue and Tommy lit up and Chris and Billy making out in the dark and Lucy was sure, Harry was enjoying it far too much. But she was still glad she did this with Osborne than with just some random, ugly guy.

Pushing him away wasn't hard either and she was sure their chemistry translated to something quite interesting on stage. Channeling all her evil energy into her singing and she was convinced that her and Harry's miming on stage went very close to some forbidden area in the Columbia code.

The end of act one came quicker than expected and all the kids were thankful for a little breather and a moment of reflection. Ms Evans was very happy so far but Lucy, Liv and Wanda exchanged knowing looks – the real highlight was one that none of their teachers could foresee… mostly because they banned it, but where was the fun in that?

The second act started, the prom scene went over in the perfect calm-before-the-storm manner and Lucy scream to Harry to dump the blood was perfectly timed.

Wanda was great and started the destruction with the planned acting – pushing back people 'telepathically' and crashing the prepared set (Peter pulling the strings – literally – behind the scenes). But it didn't take long for her to go off script, using her powers to fiddle with the lights in the auditorium, illuminating it as if lightning had suddenly gone off inside. She dragged some furniture across the stage, lifting and dropping it and as she 'killed' off the characters she made her way towards Lucy. The two had practiced their stunt secretly in the training area a few times and so she didn't feel scared as Wanda lifted her up and shot her backwards with only a bit of magic. Lucy landed and regretted immediately that she had to pretend to be dead as she really wanted to see the audience reaction. It had looked pretty awesome, judging by the oohs and aahs.

As the musical came to an end and everyone reunited on stage for the ending number, Lucy was finally able to shake the last of her tension and at the same time being filled with sadness that it was now over. The raging applause that never seemed to dim filled her with immense pride and as the lights went on, she was finally able to see Nat and Steve's faces and their expressions spoke volumes.

The individual bows felt pretty awesome and she cheered with everyone else as Wanda returned to stage and was greeted with loud applause and as they lined up, Lucy squeezed her hand tightly.

They returned backstage as the curtain closed and fell into each other's arms.

"We did it, guys!" Wanda almost sobbed and even Lucy could understand her emotions.

"And you were so great!" Liv smiled at the redhead and Lucy suddenly had pang of sentiment just how far they'd all come within only a few months.

The happy bubble was about to burst though, as Ms Evans approached and pulled the trio to the side. She threw a suspicious look towards Peter but decided he wasn't involved enough to warrant a lecture.

Her stern eyes focused on the girls, but Lucy was far too happy to be intimidated by her teacher.

"I remember telling you specifically, Wanda, that you were not to use your powers onstage."

Wanda only smiled politely in response. "Well, Ms Evans, I tried but I just got so into character, it just burst out of me!"

The brunette teacher quickly glanced towards the celebrating students across the room before turning her gaze to Olivia and Lucy who wore their best innocent look.

"By the absolutely non-existing surprise of your fellow cast members, I assume you planned this. And since you were intelligent enough not to cross the line into the dangerous and it's the end of the year, I'll let you off." She gave them one last strict look before letting a small smile out. "Have a great summer."

The three girls thanked her and quickly changed into their normal clothes, running out into the lobby outside the auditorium where Nat, Steve, Tony, Pepper, Clint and Sharon were waiting.

Nat had an uncharacteristically large grin on her face and Lucy threw herself into her mom's arms, not caring who saw. Steve seemed like he wouldn't let go of Wanda but eventually the others all managed to congratulate the girls as well.

"I'm so, so proud of you!"

Wanda seemed to grow a few inches under Steve's praise and gave Tony a devilish grin back as he continued amusedly.

"Never thought your powers could be so helpful in a musical, huh? I had no idea you were able to control them so well."

Everyone grinned and Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "I'm always excited to hear her sing the 'down on their knees line' – and then I make a mental note to ask her if something's bothering her, because that was scarily realistic."

She narrowly avoided Wanda's elbow in her ribs, just as Liv made her way up to their little group. Lucy grinned and held her arm out to the girl whose parents, of course, hadn't turned up.

"That was so well done, Olivia. Your acting and singing was amazing." Nat smiled at the girl who politely thank everyone for their congratulations.

After some small talk, Liv turned and gave everyone an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I gotta run. Martha wants to go home, I think. I'll see you tomorrow?" she turned to Lucy, Wanda and Peter, grinning. "Last day of junior year!" With that she returned across the lobby to her nanny who immediately put a coat around her shoulders before walking out into the dark June night.

"We should probably get back as well, seeing how it's your last day of school tomorrow." Pepper looked at the kids as if lost in thoughts. "Last day of junior year, I can't believe it."

Not wanting to engage in sentimentality from her or Clint (that was going to be terrible), Lucy quickly intervened. "Yep, time flies. Alright, let's get going."

Back at the tower, she enjoyed having some quiet quality time with Nat who wanted to go over every single one of Lucy's appearances, having questions or just generally praising her. Lucy was happy to indulge and revel in memories that weren't that old but the longer she could keep them vivid, the better.

She went to bed that night, filled with happiness at the great show and the last day of school. Usually it wasn't a huge deal – she'd still stay at the boarding house and worked on her own projects. This year, she wouldn't see her school in two months for the first time in years and even finally go on vacation.

###

"So, basically, I'll be gone the entirety of July, but we'll definitely be able to see each other in August."

Quentin smiled next to her on the bench and nodded. "My classes start on the 21st, so I'll be moving in the weekend before." He grinned and moved closer. "That gives us more than two weeks to get up to some stuff."

Lucy couldn't help but mirror his expression. "Some stuff, hmm?" She took his face into her hands. "I can think of some more specific things." With that she closed the distance between their faces and they kept their lips locked until a ping on Lucy's phone distracted them.

She sighed as she took in the message and looked up at Quentin again. "Liv just texted, she's on her way. We better get going."

Quentin grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun and we don't have to stop making out!"

Lucy conceded and they gathered their flags and made their way downtown.

"Are we going down to the village? That's where the parade is ending right?"

A snort was the immediate response he got from Lucy. "I don't think Liv would ever step foot below 23rd, so we're meeting at 26th and 5th."

Quentin chuckled and linking his arms with Lucy's they kept on walking, managing to gather Peter and Wanda along the way.

Liv was already waiting with Heather and a few of the other girls at the designated spot, having shoved people away to secure it.

"You look great!" Wanda smiled at Heather who was completely decked in the colors of the bi flag and Liv nodded in support.

"I'll take that compliment, since most of the choices was my idea," the brunette said quite proudly.

Lucy took a moment to take the entire feeling in. During Pride, the entire city seemed to suddenly get along and the feeling of community was incredible. She was glad to be able to share it with Peter and Wanda and it definitely presented the perfect end to their first joint school year and year of living together. If she compared where she was now to one year ago, she couldn't believe it. She had a family that cared about her, a mentor who loved her and siblings who managed to keep her balanced and happy. She managed to cope with her grandma's death and even the devastation of her parents – the only family left – dying and they'd all emerged stronger. Quentin put his arms around her from the back and Lucy's heartbeat slowed as the first floats emerged from around the corner. This was good.


End file.
